Dear Little Friend
by Mustard Lady
Summary: Lucy stumbles upon and befriends Captain Jack Sparrow, then when the Pevensies are returned to Narnia, they learn that Cutler Beckett is taking over the seas by controlling Davy Jones, and that their friend Jack Sparrow needs rescuing from Davy Jones' locker! Peter, Edmund, Susan, and Lucy join up with Barbossa, Will Turner, and Elizabeth Swann to save the day, Jack, and Narnia!
1. Chapter 1 THe Captain Meets the Queen

**This is my first Narnia fic. I don't own anything. Since watching Pirates of the Caribbean, I've wished we could see what it'd be like if that world was merged with the world of Narnia, in movie form of course-wishful thinking-. I think both movie series are great! Hope you enjoy this story.**

 **At World's End is my top favorite POTC movie, and so that is which film this story will take place in. For Narnia, the children are the age of the second film Prince Caspian, but this is before they met Caspian because I couldn't find a good fit for him in my story.**

 **Please enjoy, and reviews are welcome. This first chapter takes place _before_ The Curse of the Black Pearl, when Jack is still trying to get his precious ship back. This turned out much longer than I wanted, but I wanted to first introduce you all to the first time the Pevensies met Jack Sparrow, then the following chapters should make more sense. **

* * *

It was a warm summer day in the land of Narnia, and all the great places beyond. The four Pevensie children had gone on a picnic for lunch as it was so lovely out, then gone exploring. They'd also permitted some of the servants to go enjoy the fresh air till it was time for them to return and begin preparing the evening meal. Young Queen Lucy was just now returning to the palace, Cair Paravel where she lived with her two older brothers, Peter and Edmund, and her older sister Susan.

The other three were still aways back, trudging up the trail, arguing about who had found the most unique nature wonders that day. Lucy decided to stroll into the royal kitchen, and see if she could possibly find some of those delicious cheese rolls she liked so much. Climbing up the hill had given her an appetite!

* * *

Lucy heard someone moving about in the kitchen. She assumed it was Sage the cook. But as Lucy turned the corner and skipped in, she screeched at just what she did see! There was a man bending over one of the cupboards, rummaging through it! He did not look familiar. He was a stranger. Startled, Lucy let out a high-pitched yelp. "Aaahhh!" The man, completely stunned that someone else was in the room, that he'd been caught, also screamed and hid under the table as Lucy shrank behind the wall around the corner.

They both suspiciously, cautiously peeked around at each other and both shyly huddled further back. Finally, Lucy decided to brave it up and slowly ventured inside. The man watched her every move with wide, beady eyes. Lucy had never seen anyone like him before. He clutched something tightly to himself and slipped it into his pants pocket. Lucy began to smile as she approached him, as if she was greeting a fuzzy dog. "Hello. What are you doing?" She asked curiously.

"Doing? Doing. Why, I wasn't doing anything." The man said innocently, standing up with his hands behind his back.

"Then why are you in my kitchen?" Lucy persisted.

"Oh. Well, that..." The man bit his lip, trying to come up with something off the top of his head. "Well, I'm new to this region, you see. And I was hired to deliver the royal food. I was just accounting for every last bit. Wouldn't do to have the Kings and Queens of Narnia served only half the quantity, now would it?"

"No." Lucy said. She walked around him, inspecting. She studied him closely with curious blue eyes. He had sun-tanned skin, and dark facial hair. His attire made him look rather like a bum, but he did have a bandanna on his head, jewelry that Lucy had never seen before, and a mound of long, stranded chocolate hair! He was a great deal taller than Lucy too.

" _What?"_ The man asked dryly as he stared down at the little girl.

"You're unlike anyone I've ever seen before. _And,_ the man who delivers our food came by yesterday." Lucy corrected him with a grin.

" _Oh."_ The man gulped. "Well, uh...ahem! He, uhh...wasn't sure if he'd made suffice, so he, ahem, I took it upon meself to see that he didn't lose his position over a mere oversight."

"What's your name?" Lucy asked eagerly. "I am Lucy Pevensie." She held out her small hand toward him. The man furrowed his brows at her innocent friendliness, something he wasn't accustomed to. He didn't spend much time with children.

" _Captain_ Jack Sparrow." The man said, heartily shaking her hand. Lucy giggled.

"Jack Sparrow?" Her jaw dropped.

" _Captain_ Jack Sparrow." Jack rolled his eyes. Why was it that no living person on earth could get it right?

"You're a pirate, aren't you?!"

"I am." Jack Sparrow nodded proudly. Lucy's eyes lit up.

"I've heard of you!" She exclaimed. "Oh my." She reached up toward his face. Jack frowned suspiciously and backed away from her till he was pinned against the cupboard.

"W-what are you doing?" He asked.

Lucy ran her fingers over his deadlock braids, with large awestruck eyes. She gazed studiously at his buckeyes and beads. "Are you really _the_ Jack Sparrow, the pirate?"

" _Captain_ Jack Sparrow, if you please." Jack shook his head in exasperation. "The one and only, love." He spread his arms out like a performer giving his last bow. "The most fearsome pirate in all the Caribbean, the Seven Seas, and beyond!"

"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Sparrow." Lucy smiled broadly. Jack's shoulders slumped as she still had not addressed him properly. "I've never met a real pirate before!" She attacked his pants pockets.

"Oh, oh, uhh," Jack stammered. Lucy narrowed her eyes at him when she held out two shiny apples. Jack cleared his throat guiltily.

"You're stealing!" Lucy confronted him.

"Pirate, darling. That's what I do." Jack shrugged nonchalantly.

"But stealing is wrong." Lucy said, with disappointment.

Jack nodded. "But you see, I was just _so_ hungry!" He declared dramatically, looking at her with pitiful puppy dog eyes. "I haven't eaten in days. And me poor belly is just a'witherin' away to notin' but skin 'n' bones. Why, I am afraid I shall go delirious from hunger! Maybe I am already." He said 'sadly'.

"Why didn't you just tell us you were hungry?" Lucy asked sympathetically. "It would've been the better thing to do than stealing."

"Quite right, love." Jack shrugged with a grin. "But, oh, I'm afraid me poor brain is not working properly due to the after effects of starvation."

"That's terrible." Lucy shook her head. "But it is still wrong to steal." She reminded him firmly. Then her face softened. She placed one of the red apples into his hand. "Here, take it." She smiled.

Jack was unsure of what to do. "Is this atonement?" He asked hopefully, hoping she wouldn't have him arrested for stealing.

"No. It's a gift, from me to you. Pirate, thief, or not, you shouldn't starve." Lucy said. Jack got an unusual feeling of warmth in his chest. And his cheeks glowed without him realizing it.

 _Good grief! What is this lass doing to me?!_ He thought. He was accustomed to being outwardly polite, but this was a new feeling!

"Go ahead. Take it." Lucy urged him. "We have plenty more."

"I am grateful, love." Jack nodded. For once, he meant it.

"So, Mr.- _err! Captain_ Sparrow, do you have a ship?" Lucy asked, taking a bite of her apple.

"Aye! That I do, love." Jack said proudly. "She's a mighty beauty! If you care to come with me, I'll tell you all about her...and maybe about one of my adventures."

"You will?" Lucy gasped. "Oh, I would love to hear about one of your adventures out at sea!" She followed him outside, showed him around a bit, then the two of them made their way down toward the beach. Jack wasn't quite sure which of his excursions would be fitting to repeat to a child! But Jack was a good storyteller, so he was sure he could come up with one where he could embellish himself out as the hero rather than just a scurvy pirate.

* * *

Edmund, Susan, and Peter returned to the castle. Edmund wanted to play Chess, so Peter agreed while Susan went to redo her messy hair. A short while later, she walked in on the boys' game. "Have either of you seen Lucy?" She asked. "She's not in our suite."

"No." Peter shook his head.

"I haven't." Edmund replied. "Check, and check mate!" He announced grandly. Peter gaped in disbelief.

"How can it be check mate? That's only my seventh move!" He puffed.

"Strategy, Pete." Edmund smirked. Peter scowled.

"I'm going to see if I can find out what Lucy is up to." He sighed.

* * *

Down on the beach, Jack and Lucy were walking along the sand. Lucy had kicked off her shoes and socks and was completely barefoot. "So, where is your ship?" She inquired. "I don't see it."

"Aye." Jack grumbled. "She is currently under the command of another."

"So, you let someone else borrow her?"

"Never!" Jack argued. "Nay, love. _The Black Pearl_ is rightfully mine. But some scalawag who calls himself a captain threw me overboard and declared it as his own."

"I'm sorry." Lucy sighed. "Pirates stealing from pirates, what is the world coming to? Maybe, maybe you can get your ship back!"

"That is my plan, love." Jack grinned. "But you should see her, _The Black Pearl._ My vessel is magnificent, and fierce, and huge-ish." He waved his hands dramatically. Lucy stepped into the sea water and suddenly splashed water up in his face. "What was that for?" He sputtered.

"It's fun." Lucy grinned cheekily. "Don't tell me the great Captain Jack Sparrow is afraid of a little water!" She challenged. Jack narrowed his eyes playfully.

"Ohh! I see. So you want to play games, is it?" He pretended to be stern. Lucy giggled sheepishly. He doused her with a fierce wave of water. She screeched happily. They chased each other around, splashing sprays of white water foam in the other's face.

" _Lucy!"_ Peter hollered in alarm as he appeared, frantically running toward them. Jack and Lucy stopped their water game.

"Peter!" Lucy beamed.

"Who is that?" Jack asked dryly, scowling.

"He's my brother." Lucy chuckled, as if it was supposed to be obvious.

Peter glowered at the pirate. How dare he, a stranger, mingle and rendezvous around with _his_ little sister! For all Peter knew, this stranger might be planning to kidnap her! Peter placed his hand on his sword handle, preparing to draw. Jack did the same. "Lucy, get away from him!" Peter barked.

"No, no, Peter." Lucy protested. "It's all right. Don't be mad at him, Peter. He's my friend." Jack smirked, shrugging his shoulders. Peter's stormy countenance did not relent.

"He's a stranger, Lu." Peter said accusingly.

"He was hungry, Peter. I only wanted to help." Lucy said. Peter sized the pirate up from head to toe. He appeared too well built, and in too good of health to be starving to death.

"My fault, sir." Jack spoke up. "I should've known better than to coerce the lass to take a stroll with me, a perfect stranger. Captain Jack Sparrow, at your service." He gave a winning smile and a dramatic bow. Peter stared him down.

"Captain Jack Sparrow?" Peter sputtered, stunned.

"Ahh! So you've heard of me?" Jack smirked.

"Lucy, get away from him! He's dangerous." Peter ordered. Jack rolled his eyes.

"Pete, what's going on?" Edmund asked as he appeared with a disgruntled Susan.

"Did you find her?" Susan asked.

" _Who are you?"_ Edmund asked Jack briskly.

"Son, I am Captain Jack Sparrow. Savvy?" Jack shrugged.

"Don't just stand there daft, Peter. Do something!" Susan huffed at her brother.

 _Lots of fire, that one,_ Jack thought with admiration. "And just who might you be?" He retorted cockily to the older three Pevensie siblings.

"These are my brothers and sister, Jack." Lucy announced. "This is Susan, Edmund, and of course, you've met Peter."

"Yes, we've...met." Jack sighed.

"You're a pirate. You should be thrown in the dungeon." Susan said, eyeing him warily.

"But, Susan, he hasn't committed any crimes here. Well, not really." Lucy said sheepishly.

"Susan, is it?" Jack grinned. "A gentle name. Listen, Susie..."

"It's _Susan!"_ Susan hissed. Peter drew his sword and so did Edmund.

" _Queen Susan...the Gentle."_ Edmund rolled his eyes. Jack just laughed. Susan certainly did not appear anywhere close to that description _gentle right now!_

"Ohh! Queen now is it?" He spoke with mockery.

"Shut up!" Edmund growled as he and Peter shuffled closer.

"That's just rich, lad." Jack chuckled. Lucy tugged on his sleeve.

"Uhh...he's _not_ joking." She warned him. Jack stiffened, and his smile slowly drooped. His eyes darted back and forth suspense-fully. He glanced at Lucy for help. She bit her lip and just stared at him. Jack felt a cold chill run down his back as the reality of his currently unpleasant position dawned on him. He stepped closer to the three older Pevensies, Lucy at his heels. He squinted at them, studying them closely.

"No. _Oh, no!_ You couldn't be." He laughed nervously.

"Like it or not, we are." Susan glared. The death glowers he was receiving from her two obviously very protective brothers was sure indication that this was no sham. Then he saw it! His eyes fell on Peter's sword, and he read the letters of the Narnian mantra:

 _"Wrong will be put right, when Aslan comes in sight. When Aslan bares His teeth, winter meets its death; when He shakes His mane, we shall have spring again."_

Jack's jaw dropped, and he stared blankly as if he'd just met someone with two heads. "High King Peter...I presume?" He finally found his voice.

"High King Peter, _the Magnificent!"_ Peter declared emphatically. He rose his sword higher.

"King Edmund, the Just." Edmund added. Jack cleared his throat. Then he gaped wildly and returned his gaze to Lucy. If she was their sibling...but how? Just how had he happened to find himself in the company of the great kings and queens of Narnia itself?

"If they..." Jack fumbled over his words, "and you're on of them...then who...who are you?" Jack asked Lucy.

Lucy giggled at Jack's petrified look. "I am Queen Lucy, the Valiant." She said in a friendly voice. Her tone was reassuring. The others looked ready to kill him.

"But how could... _you?"_ Jack shook his head, trying to wrap his mind around this new information.

"What's wrong with that?" Lucy teased.

"I...I...pardon me, Your Majesties, my lady," He nodded to Susan, "but, I was expecting somebody...well, no offense intended, but...a little taller, and a great deal older, and more experienced!"

"Is that a challenge, _Captain Sparrow?"_ Peter asked, pointing his sword directly at Jack. Jack slowly shoved the blade down, away from his nose.

"No need for that, son." Jack said casually. "Just, you're not what I expected."

"Neither are you!" Edmund spoke quickly. "The infamous, fearsome Jack Sparrow, afraid of a little sword fight."

"I didn't say I was afraid." Jack corrected him. "Just that wouldn't want it on me conscience should your brother end up mortally wounded from my trusty sword, which I can assure never misses its mark."

"So, you're conscientiously refusing, to fight a swordsman half your age?" Edmund asked sarcastically. Jack narrowed his eyes at the skinny, dark-haired kid.

"You have a quick and witty tongue, lad." He said. "Like meself."

"I've been trying for years to get him to curve it." Peter said. Edmund scowled.

"This is not the time!" Susan scolded.

"What do you say, Captain?" Peter edged him on.

"Oh, you don't want to do that, boy." Jack said wryly. He glanced at Lucy who just smiled. "Very well then." Jack agreed. "Let's see just how much spitfire runs in your veins, lad." Jack unsheathed and aimed his sword. For once, Peter let Edmund take the center stage. Jack sprung first, but Edmund skillfully countered him. They dueled back and forth with excellent aim and astounding timing. Jack was secretly impressed by Edmund's marksmanship, but he had a reputation to keep up. At one point, Jack had Edmund on the ground. "Too much yet, lad?" Jack asked smugly.

"You haven't even _begun_ to make me break a sweat." Edmund retorted proudly. He swiftly got back to his feet and before Jack realized what was happening, Edmund swiped his sword from his hands. Susan and Lucy applauded. Jack froze like a statue, his beady eyes as wide as saucers.

"You're fast on your feet, I will grant you that much." Jack sighed.

"Are you admitting defeat then, Captain Sparrow?" Edmund smiled.

" _Nay._ Merely, a conservation of stamina. No sense in wasting all my bristle on you when I truly don't need the half of it to rise up as the victor."

" _Sore loser."_ Peter whispered to Susan and Lucy.

"I heard that!" Jack warned him. "I can assure your majesties, that Captain Jack Sparrow is not one to run from danger." Jack said theatrically. "On the contrary. I laugh at danger. I live for the thrill of throwing myself into the unknown without a moment's hesitation, with no fear of pain or death or the evil that may stalk me on the foreboding ocean!" He boasted.

"But you _would_ run away from a sword fight with a teenager, afraid someone might find out and broadcast it that you lost." Susan gloated. Peter and Edmund snorted. Jack put on his best stern face which only made Lucy laugh. Apparently, Queen Susan the _not so gentle_ in this case, had hit a nerve with the 'fearless' Captain Jack Sparrow. For once, Peter was proud of his sister's typical tactless tongue.

"Would you like to stay, and have tea with us, Jack?" Lucy offered.

"Lucy!" Susan laughed in disbelief.

"Why not?" Lucy replied. "I don't believe he means us harm. Besides, I don't think he'll try to steal from _our_ kitchen again. It is rather hazardous to his plans." Peter found himself agreeing. This great Captain Jack Sparrow appeared to be more and more of a dork than psycho, and for the most part, he seemed harmless.

"That's awfully kind of you, dearie." Jack clapped his hands together. "But I'm afraid I haven't the time. Must be getting back to me ship."

" _What_ ship?" Edmund furrowed his brows. "I don't see any ship. There isn't one for miles!" Jack swallowed pitifully. He'd only come to this island in a small sailboat, for a quick pick-me-up, at least three days' worth of food to sustain him till he found a new place to land, and be on his way. Now he was beginning to feel a bit stuck.

"I can explain..." Jack tried to lie.

"I believe the _brilliant_ captain has beached himself." Peter snickered, pointing out the tip of the mast from Jack's small boat, which was peaking it's pointed head out of the water. Hoping to get out of here, he pulled out his compass. It pointed toward the palace, Cair Paravel. Jack sulked. He was itching to get going.

"Looks like the odds are stacked against me." He muttered.

"Don't worry, Captain." Peter finally smiled. "We have plenty of food. And we can commission you a new boat when you're ready to be on your way."

"That is...unwittingly generous." Jack said, taken aback.

"As long as you _don't_ call Susan _Susie, again!" _Edmund declared sharply.

" _Yes!"_ Peter and Susan added in unison. Lucy laughed. Jack threw his quivering hands up in surrender.

"I shall be the soul of discretion." He bowed his head. "Wait. _What_ am I saying?" Lucy took his hand.

"Come on." She smiled sweetly. "We can have lots of fun together." Jack didn't have many options in the way of persuasive argument. And he could not fight smiling back at that warm little girl whose endless optimism and friendliness impressed him more and more.

 _Queen or not, the lass is such a rare blossom of sweet innocence, and kindness, and generosity._ Jack thought to himself. He'd met very few people like that in his entire life. There was just something about Lucy's childlike faith and belief in the good side of people that stirred Jack up in ways he'd never thought possible. How could anyone ever want to harm a cute, kind little flower like her? Jack wasn't one to grow easily attached to people, but little Lucy was different. She treated him like a person. A normal person. Jack hated to admit it, but he found that he rather liked it. _Well, as long as I am stuck with this little band of merry whelps, no harm will come to Lucy as long as Captain Jack Sparrow is around!_ He told himself. The mere thought that any of the ugly, and indecent pirates he'd come to know through the years would even consider harming little Lucy made him protectively furious. _If I didn't know better, I'd say I've made a new friend!_ Jack thought. _I best get out of this place the first chance I get, and the sooner the better!_

"So tell me," Jack spoke up as he climbed the hill with the Pevensie children back up to the palace, "how is that four whelps like you came to be the high kings and queens of Narnia, eh?"

"It's a long story." Susan chuckled.

* * *

Jack did no more stealing while he visited with the Pevensies for three days. He kept them entertained with his tricks, and wild tales of his adventures at sea. He played Chess with the boys, and explored and played Hide-and-Seek with the girls. They explained to him how they'd first come to Narnia, found the Great Lion Aslan, about Aslan's great sacrifice for Edmund, how they'd fought in His battle of Beruna, and after that had been crowned as the kings and queens. Jack didn't know the half of these stories as he was most often at sea. He'd only heard snippets through his travels. Personally, they sounded like a bunch of fairy tales to him, but after consideration, it did make sense and nothing was strange to him anymore after some of the things he'd experienced as a pirate.

At the end of three days, Jack was granted a small new longboat and the Pevensies supplied him with food and some extra bullets for his pistol, should he need them. Even Peter and Edmund were sorry to see him go. Lucy gave him a goodbye hug before he got into the boat. "Will we see you again?" She asked hopefully.

"I shouldn't be surprised, love." Jack smiled. "Here." He removed one of the small silver jangles from his braid and placed it in her small hand. "Keep it, darling, so that you won't ever forget Captain Jack Sparrow."

"Oh, I could _never_ forget you!" Lucy smiled.

"I don't suppose I can you either, dear little friend." Jack patted her head.

"Thank you, Jack." Lucy sighed, clutching the jewelry.

"Well, I best be going." Jack shoved his boat into the ocean water then hopped into his rig. "Keep a weather eye on the horizon." He called. "Always keep an eye out for Captain Jack Sparrow!" He waved. Lucy and her siblings waved goodbye.

Lucy lingered and watched him sail farther and farther away even after the others shifted up the hill. She gazed with awe at the gift he'd given her, still astounded that she'd been given such a beautiful piece from a real pirate! She hoped to see him again someday!

That had been three years ago...


	2. Chapter 2 Summoned!

"Come on, Ed." Susan groaned for the twentieth time. She was helping Edmund with his mathematics. At least, that's what she was _trying_ to do. According to Edmund, she _wasn't_ helping at all. "Let's go over it, _again."_ Susan rolled her eyes impatiently.

"I can manage on my own, thank you." Edmund snapped.

"You're managing on your own is why your teacher said that you need extra practice." Susan retorted.

"And who assigned _you_ to be my drill instructor?" Edmund huffed.

"You're not even trying!" Susan argued. Lucy was sitting on the sofa of the shared drawing room, reading a Nancy Drew mystery book. Well, trying to.

Peter was brooding over his latest squabble at school. The other boys there made fun of him, especially when he tried to exhibit authority over them if they were out of line according to school ethics. Peter didn't blame Edmund for being snappish. At school, he was treated like a kid. But he wasn't always a kid. In Narnia, he'd grown up to be a man, and had led men through battles. Then they'd accidentally wandered out of Narnia, and back to their lives _and ages_ in the real world. Peter was fed up with school, but summer holiday wasn't for another month.

Edmund and Susan were still bickering ridiculously. Lucy snapped her book shut. She couldn't concentrate, not to mention that she was tired of listening to them not acting their age, like they were always telling _her_ to do! "Why don't we play a game?" Lucy suggested.

"Just what I needed to hear." Edmund growled.

"Oh, why don't you grow up?" Susan sighed.

"Lu's right." Peter spoke up. "Perhaps we should take a respite away from all this tedious homework. Suppose we see what is playing at the cinema?"

"Oh, yes!" Lucy agreed eagerly.

"I, for one, will agree to anything right now that gets me out this room." Edmund added. And Susan nodded her consent.

* * *

The four Pevensie children had just picked up their movie tickets when it happened. A brisk breeze began blowing, and Lucy's ticket flew through the air and landed near the stairs of a downstairs flat of the adjoining building. "I'll get it, Lu." Peter said. But as he looked, her ticket was stuck in a crevice between two bricks. Peter pinched the end of the paper between his fingers but it would not budge.

"Come on, Pete. You're gonna make us late!" Edmund called.

"Just a moment. I'll be right there." Peter replied. Edmund rolled his eyes, figuring he could fetch his sister's ticket faster than his older brother. Lucy and Susan followed.

"What is taking so long?" Susan asked.

"Nothing. It's just a bit stuck." Peter said. No matter how hard he tried, the flimsy slip of paper was stubbornly remaining in the bricks.

"Oh, here. I'll do it!" Edmund groaned.

"No, I've got it."

"Just get out of the way!"

"Ed, would you mind?"

"Honestly, you two." Susan muttered. Suddenly, a massive billow of wind rushed through the stairway, nearly knocking the children off their feet! "What is it?!" Susan cried. The wind was whipping at them like a tornado.

"I don't know! It almost feels...like...magic!" Lucy yelled as she grabbed onto the railing to prevent herself from being blown away.

"Everybody hold hands!" Susan called. The girls grabbed each other's, with their opposite hand clenching the iron rails.

"Ed!" Peter scolded.

"I'm _not_ holding your hand!" Edmund protested. Peter just gripped it anyway. The children hollered, clinging to each other and their only base of gravity. Before they knew it, they couldn't feel the ground under their feet! Five seconds later, they all collapsed...onto... _sand?_

* * *

They glanced around in disbelief, squinting as the high noon sun beat down brightly on them. "Where, are we?" Edmund panted.

"We must be in Narnia!" Lucy answered excitedly.

"But where?" Susan repeated. "This isn't Cair Paravel, is it?" They were lying on a sandy beach. But the cliffs overlooking above them did not acquire their former palace home. In fact, they appeared as if they were at a type of port.

"I don't think so." Peter shook his head. "Maybe we can ask someone where we are." They marched up the cobblestone walkway towards a small town. They'd nearly reached the dirt road at the end, when they suddenly became surrounded by a group of angry looking men with swords, pitchforks, axes, and whatever else they could lay their hands on. Peter bravely stood in front of his siblings. Lucy clung to his waist from the back, Susan placed a hand on Lucy's shoulder, and Edmund stood next to Peter, warily watching the citizens of this place every bit as suspiciously as they were watching them.

"Don't take another step!" One of the men barked.

"What's your business here?" Another snarled.

"Listen, please." Peter spoke up. "We aren't looking for any trouble."

"That's real rich, kid."

"Are you part of the **East India Trading Company**?" Another bellowed.

"The _what?"_ Edmund squinted, confused.

"The **East India Trading Company**!"

"I'm afraid we don't know what you're talking about." Susan said cooly.

"Aww, sure you don't. Then where'd you get them fancy clothes, huh?"

"Look, we seem a bit lost. Would you mind telling us where we are?" Peter asked again.

"Don't play innocent with us, baby face!" One of the men bellowed at Peter. "It's a trick! They've sent children to us now, acting all primp and proper to fool us!"

"It's a trick!" Another agreed.

"No! That's not it at all!" Lucy cried.

"Do you even know who we are?" Susan demanded angrily.

"You'd best get away from this place if you know what's good for you. Get out!" The men hollered and actually advanced on the kids!

"Run!" Peter yelled, shoving Lucy and Susan on ahead of himself and Edmund. As they ran, Edmund kept snatching rocks off the ground and throwing them at the riled mob. The gang had absolutely no intention of letting the Pevensies into their town. They chased them down to the beach. Lucy stumbled and fell to the ground. Peter quickly pulled her back to her feet and refused to let go of her hand. They were being chased straight toward the ocean!

"What do we do now?!" Susan cried as they kept running for their lives. Peter glanced back and saw the marauders catching up with them.

"Swim for it!" Peter commanded. They would have to swim out of sight and then try to sneak back on the island and figure out where to go from there.

"Look!" Edmund pointed out. As if by magic, a sizable ship had appeared not far from shore, with Chinese sails! They had no idea where it had come from, or if it was any safer than their current predicament. But retreating was _not_ an option!

"Go!" Peter told them. "Head for the ship!" He, Edmund, Susan, and Lucy dove into the sea, and paddled away as fast as they could from the frenzied people on the shore who were still threatening them even though they did not enter the water themselves.

* * *

It felt like forever and their arms were cramping up, when Susan spotted a small longboat rowing straight for them. "Help!" She yelled. "Can you help us, please?"

"Please! Help!" Peter cried. There were a few men in the boat, about three. One of them, a sturdy guy with long dark brown hair and equally chocolate eyes stood up in the boat and stooped down toward them.

"A little more, boys." He commanded the two Chinese men. "Just a little closer. Stay calm!" The man told the frantic children. "We're coming to help you." They rowed closer, and the Pevensies swam to the boat.

"Help Lucy!" Peter gulped. The man in command nodded, and reached out his hand to Lucy.

"Hold on, darling." He smiled to her as she gripped his hand and he pulled her up. "Help these children." He commanded. The others quickly helped Susan in next, then Edmund, and Peter just hoisted himself inside. "Is that everyone?" The kind man asked.

"Y-yes. Thank you." Peter nodded.

"Back to the ship." As they drifted farther away from the shore, the Pevensies began to think their rescuer looked vaguely familiar! He was studying them too. "Are you all, alright?" He asked.

"Better than we were, thanks to you." Edmund muttered.

"Well, not to worry. We'll get you warm and into some dry clothes once we hit deck."

Peter gazed closely at him, with an intense look on his face. "W...Will, Turner?" He sputtered.

"Aye. And who are..." The man's eyes widened. "L-Lucy? Peter? Is that you?" Will gaped.

"Yes." Lucy smiled.

"Forgive me. I didn't recognize you at first!" Will's face lit up.

"Thanks for rescuing us." Susan smiled sheepishly.

"Now I'm glad that we arrived when we did!" Will exclaimed. "What happened back there anyway?"

"They wouldn't even let us through." Lucy said sadly.

"They treated us like traitors." Edmund puffed. "Intruders!"

"They thought we were part of the **East India Trading Company,** or something to that effect." Peter shook his head.

"That explains the hostility." Will nodded as he realized the situation.

"I don't understand." Lucy said.

"I'll explain later." Will said. "For now, let's get you all warm and fed."

"I'm not about to argue!" Edmund cheered at the idea of food.

* * *

As they neared the ship, Will called out. "Barbossa! Elizabeth! We have a few castaways!"

"Elizabeth? Is Elizabeth on board with you?" Susan asked.

"Yes she is." Will nodded.

"Are you two married yet?" Lucy asked, grinning.

Will sighed. "No, not yet. We should've been, long before now! But, things have happened that prevented us from lawfully becoming man and wife."

"That's terrible." Lucy said sympathetically.

"By the way, what are _you_ doing here? We'd heard that you had left Narnia."

"It's a bit of a long story." Peter said.

"Will? Will!" Elizabeth waved and called from aboard the ship. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. But these friends need our help. Wait till you see who it is!" Will called back up to her. Leaning over the railing was a dark-skinned woman the children didn't remember seeing before.

"Who is that?" Lucy asked curiously.

"Tia Dalma." Will replied as they thrust a rope up to tie the boat to the ship. "Oh, and I must warn you, _please try not_ to freak out, when you see who else is aboard, and in command." He grinned.

" _Okay."_ Edmund glared uneasily.

"I don't like the sound of that." Susan gulped. Will climbed up first then reached down to help their new passengers.

"Why, they're only children." Tia Dalma smiled sympathetically. Edmund didn't like her. She had black teeth and made him feel creepy.

"Lucy? Susan?" Elizabeth's jaw dropped.

"Elizabeth!" Lucy greeted. Elizabeth hugged both girls fondly.

"Oh, dear. Come. Let's get you dried off before you catch your death of cold!" She insisted.

"Tia Dalma? Everyone?" Will announced. "This is King Peter the Magnificent, High King of Narnia!" The crew bowed respectfully. "And King Edmund the Just, Queen Susan the Gentle, and Queen Lucy the Valiant."

"How can he be a king?" Pintel spoke sarcastically. "He's just a kid."

"He's got no crown." Raghetti added.

"Peter! Edmund, is that you, me lads?" An older man smiled at them.

"Mr..." Peter recognized him but couldn't recall his name.

"Gibbs!" Mr. Gibbs answered, heartily shaking their hands. "Good to see you again! Aye." He eyed the girls. "Ye are all lookin' mighty fine, yes."

"More like drowned rats." One of the crew members snickered. The other members laughed.

"That will be enough of that, mateys." Will spoke up sternly, after seeing the children's gloomy faces. "Try not to be too frightened."

"By what?" Lucy asked nervously.

"By me, that's what!" A gritted voice answered, silencing everyone on board. A large man, with an imposing presence hobbled up. Lucy's eyes widened in fear and she clung to Peter's waist. The Pevensies recognized this bristled old pirate with his fancy blue coat, expensive wardrobe, his scraggly hair peeking out from underneath his dark broad feathered hat, his over-sized nose, his ugly yellow teeth, and a small monkey perched on his shoulder. They'd fought him alongside Will, Elizabeth, and Jack Sparrow three years ago when they'd helped to rescue Elizabeth from Barbossa's clutches during the curse of the _Black Pearl._

" _Barbossa."_ Edmund scowled. Peter squared his shoulders, preparing to defend his sisters. Susan glared. Lucy avoided eye contact with the intimidating big man who was sneering at her.

" _What_ are you doing here?" Peter glowered. "You died!"

"Oh! Did I now?" Barbossa chuckled, in that, sinister, creepy way of his that seemed to give his laugh a personality of its own.

"Tia Dalma brought him back." Elizabeth said.

" _Why?"_ Edmund squinted as if he was eating sour lemons. "He's not much to look at." Barbossa rolled his eyes. "Couldn't she have found someone more _presentable,_ and _wickedless_ to help?"

"Wickedless is not a word." Susan huffed at him.

"Uh huh." Peter eyed Raghetti, Pintel, and others from Barbossa's original crew. "I thought I recognized you!" Raghetti and Pintel grinned and shrugged, happy to be noticed. Susan cringed at their yellow teeth and they smelled terrible.

 _Those two seriously need to see a dentist, and need a hot shower!_ She thought.

"Like it or not, we need Barbossa's help." Will said. "And he's proven to be a necessary asset to our mission."

"Aye, that I am." Barbossa gloated.

" _Fine."_ Peter groaned. "Look, we're here now. And we'll all have to work together to survive." Then he gave Barbossa a very pointed look. "But, if any harm comes to Lucy or Susan through your recklessness, I _will_ see to it that you face a punishment worse than you could possibly imagine."

"Strong words, lad." Barbossa grinned. "In case ye forgotten, I've already been under a curse. But mark my words, there's nothing that you can do to me, that could be any worse than or even compare to the cruel fate that has fallen poor Captain Jack Sparrow."

"Jack?" Lucy piped up when she heard that.

"Why isn't he here?" Edmund asked.

"What's happened to him, and the _Black Pearl_?" Lucy's lip began to quiver, as she remembered her friend. The vibe she was receiving from the audience told her that Jack was dead.

"What did you do to Jack Sparrow?" Peter narrowed his eyes at Barbossa.

"He be in Davy Jones' locker." Tia Dalma said gravely.

"What's that?" Lucy gulped.

"There is much to be explained." Elizabeth interrupted. "Let's get you all fed and changed first, then we'll talk about everything." Will nodded approvingly.

"But ye best watch yourselves!" Barbossa squinted at the kids. "Ye best earn your keeps around here, or I'll feed you to the sharks." Edmund and Peter glared. Susan put her arms protectively around Lucy, who gaped with frightened eyes. Most of the crew was laughing. Elizabeth rolled her eyes and Will palmed his face.

"They are _children_ after all." Tia Dalma reprimanded the crotchety old pirate.

"Nah, I'm just foolin' with ya." Barbossa laughed. "I may have some ugly dogs on here I'd rather cut up and sell for bait, but I don't use children for shields if that's what you're thinking."

"Why is he even here?" Susan asked Elizabeth.

"Don't fret about him." Elizabeth smiled. "His bark is worse than his bite."

"I hope so!" Lucy exclaimed.

"I'm beginning to wish I'd stayed on that island." Edmund whispered to Peter.


	3. Chapter 3 Truths Be Told

**So, I said this is before they met Prince Caspian. But yes, I will be including scenarios and quotes from the Prince Caspian film.**

* * *

"Here, try this, Ed," Will Turner told Edmund, handing him a smaller shirt. "This should fit." Several of the men on the crew had offered some of their own meager wardrobes to the two juvenile kings.

"Thanks." Edmund puffed. He'd tried five shirts on already and they were all too big on him. The _Black Pearl_ 's crew were pretty husky men.

"Would you mind telling us what's going on?" Peter asked Will as he tightened a large belt around his waist.

"Where do I begin?" Will sighed. "Elizabeth and I were to be married, not too long after the encounter lifting the curse of the _Black Pearl._ But Lord Cutler Beckett, of the Royal Commission for Antilles Trade and Protection took over Port Royal, and arrested Elizabeth and me for helping Jack Sparrow." Will explained.

"How did you escape?" Edmund asked.

"I was let go, sent by Beckett to deliver Letters of Marque from the British Crown to Jack Sparrow, which would grant him a pardon and an office in the employ of England."

"Let me guess." Peter spoke up. "Jack turned them down."

"No. Well, yes, but... _when_ we found him. What Beckett really wanted was Jack's compass."

"Jack's compass? Why? That's an odd reason to hunt a man down like an animal!"

"You don't know about Jack's compass, do you?" Will cocked his head.

"No, I'm afraid we don't." Edmund shrugged.

"Jack's compass is what ordinary sea-faring men would call broken." Will told them. "It doesn't truly point North. This compass, points in the direction to whatever it is, that you want most in the world. That is how it guides."

"Really?" Peter asked skeptically.

"Aye."

"So, Beckett wanted to take it, and keep it for himself." Edmund muttered.

"The only thing Beckett cares about is power, all the power he can get. And he is more than willing to sacrifice and remove anyone who gets in his way." Then he went on to tell the boys the story of the dead man's chest.

* * *

After scrimping in a series of try and fail attempts to find proper clothing for Susan and Lucy, Elizabeth had vaguely told them a similar story to that which Will was explaining to Edmund and Peter. Except Elizabeth did not elaborate on details. Soon the Pevensies had gathered with everyone else. It was nearing evening. "Now, would you mind telling me what happened to _you?"_ Will asked as he, Peter, and Edmund ventured outside on deck. "We heard you left Narnia, but I didn't want to believe it."

"It was an accident, really." Edmund hung his head.

"So tell me, lads," Barbossa interrupted, "how is it that you, the high and junior kings of Narnia, disappear for a good two years, and then just drop back in as if you fell from the sky?" The crew was listening intently.

"It's a bit difficult to explain." Peter started. "We, we..."

"We entered from a different world. _If_ that makes any sense." Susan filled in for him. "We were hunting the White Stag, and found a lamp post."

"The lamp post was the first thing I saw when I discovered Narnia." Lucy said. "We found it again, so I headed to...the _entrance_ from where we first came. I only wanted to see if it was still there!"

"It was." Edmund said. "But we didn't realize it, till we found ourselves back in our original world."

"But, how did you get back?" Gibbs asked.

"That was an accident too." Peter said. "We were minding our own business. Then...were literally _blown_ back into this world. We were cast off on that beach where you found us, part of the Lone Islands. You all arrived only moments from when we first did."

"Just why are you here?" Leech asked.

"I don't know." Peter shook his head.

" _Aslan."_ Tia Dalma said simply. They all looked at her, but no one was more surprised than the Pevensies.

"You know Aslan." Lucy said excitedly. Tia Dalma shook her head.

"You be the kings and queens of Narnia. You do not leave and enter the world by _accident."_ She said.

"She is right." Lucy said. Peter stared blankly off into the horizon. He wasn't quite sure why he was here.

"So, that's our story." He grunted. "Now, how is it that _you_ have come to ally with Will and Miss Swann?" He looked at Barbossa.

"I be one of the nine Pirate Lords, lad." Barbossa replied.

"Sorry?"

"Our world is in danger." Gibbs filled in. "There's a cursed man on these waters, Davy Jones. He was once in love but would not commit to her, loved the sea more. So, he cut out his own heart..." Lucy winced tightly. "And locked it in a chest, then buried it on an island, the Isla de Cruces, so no one would find it. Make a long story short, in the chest, the heart of Davy Jones still beats. And, whoever has the key, whoever unlocks and holds the chest with the heart, has control over Davy Jones, and his monster of a ship, the _Flying Dutchman."_

"So whoever has the chest, controls Jones. And if Jones, then that person controls the seas." Edmund said.

"Aye." Gibbs nodded.

"All the seas? Even the Shining Eastern Sea?" Lucy spoke up.

"Yes, Lucy." Will said. "From the farthest parts of the Caribbean, to Cair Paravel, Beckett has control of the ocean."

"Why doesn't someone stop him?" Susan asked.

"Ohhh. Davy Jones not be no ordinary man." Barbossa said.

"The woman he scorned cursed him," Will explained, "So he is no longer a man, really. But a sea monster. His vessel the _Flying Dutchman_ has been a holy terror to all who sail the seas, pirate or not."

"Aye. And all of his crew is as ugly and slimy as he be." Pintel said. "Not to mention the bloody Kraken." When he mentioned the Kraken, everyone fell silent, and Elizabeth looked ready to throw up.

"The Kraken..." Edmund prodded them to go on.

"Aye, a terrifying sea creature with tentacles as long as a ship's body. It wraps its arms around whole ships, till it snaps in two, and plunges to the bottom of the sea!" Pintel went on. Lucy and Susan shuddered, and Susan protectively held Lucy close to herself. Elizabeth shifted away from everybody to the other side of the deck, looking quite shaken. Will noticed this.

"So, you're saying...a sea serpent?" Edmund gulped.

"Worse." Gibbs answered. Edmund's face went pale. He was terrified at the thought of sea serpents.

"Perhaps we should head for land." Peter said, noticing his siblings' fearful reactions to the stories.

"We must move on." Barbossa disagreed. "The Brethren Court, the meeting of the Pirate Lords is at hand. And there is still one lord missing."

"But if we are the kings and queens...if we left you the first time, then we should go back to Cair Paravel, and help you prepare for Lord Beckett and Davy Jones. We can better assist you then in finding your lost lord." Peter insisted.

"It might be a good idea." Will suggested.

"All right." Barbossa sighed. "But with all possible speed. Time is of the essence, lads. Without the meeting of the Brethren Court, with all of the lords together in one place, we all be doomed." Peter nodded.

"Elizabeth." Will addressed her quietly. "Are you all right?" Elizabeth barely acknowledged him.

"Yes," She said stiffly.

"There has been no sign of the _Flying Dutchman."_ Will assured her.

"We have to find Jack." Elizabeth choked up.

"We will. Soe Faeng's charts will lead us to Jack." Will said confidently. Elizabeth turned her face away. Will couldn't understand it, at least not the way he thought he did. Elizabeth had been acting very distant on this voyage, ever since they'd declared that they were going to rescue Jack. Will left her to herself.

* * *

Two days later, the ship dropped anchor on the shore of Cair Paravel. Will took the Pevensies in one of the boats, to their home. Barbossa, Tai Huang, Gibbs, Pintel, and Ragetti accompanied them. Elizabeth, Marty, Cotton, Leech, and Tia Dalma remained on the ship. Elizabeth felt sickly guilt crawling through her whole body, for what she'd done to Jack. She preferred to stay below deck, so she could hide from the world, and Jack's friends.

As the Pevensies raced up the hill to their former home, they were met with dismay to find their beloved palace in shambles. "What happened?" Lucy cried. Their once beautiful castle was now a great ruin of rubble. "It wasn't like this before!"

"An ambush?" Peter suggested, unable to wrap his head around the possibility.

"But who? How?" Susan moaned.

"Look at these blast holes through the walls." Edmund announced, pointing out blown out columns, and bricks on the forts. "This didn't just happen. Cair Paravel was attacked!"

"But who would do such a thing?" Lucy asked dismally.

"Beckett." Will spat. He ripped a shred of torn blue-coat uniform material. The **East India Trading Company** logo was etched into it.

"Beckett?" Edmund echoed. "Why would he put a siege on Cair Paravel?"

"Power." Barbossa muttered. "He takes what he wants, to make the world bigger, and himself ruler of it."

Peter glowered darkly. He led the group to the only door that remained intact. He and Will managed to break it in. Peter cut his shirt with his pocket knife and held out a magnifying glass. "I don't suppose you have any matches, do you?" Peter asked Will. Will searched his pockets.

"Perhaps this will help." Edmund replied, holding out his flashlight that had traveled with him when they'd reentered Narnia. He'd managed to keep it above the water when they'd been chased into the ocean. Will, Barbossa, and the others had never seen such a contraption before. But it was a fascinating beauty to look at!

"You might have mentioned that a bit _sooner!"_ Peter gaped. Edmund merely grinned, gloating. He flicked it on, and led the way. Peter let Susan and Lucy enter first. Then the others followed.

"Iron light." Ragetti whispered in awe to Pintel. "Did you see that?"

"Blimey! It's magic. No other explanation." Pintel whispered back.

"I don't suppose we could nicely request of them a supply of those new-fangled lanterns the next time they depart from Narnia?" Gibbs poked Will. Will chuckled.

Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy was stunned by the changes that had been thrust on the castle. They made their way down to the cellar. "I can't believe it's all still here!" Peter gasped excitedly. Inside were four large chests, each with a statue of one of them standing above it.

"Looks like it's all that's left." Will sighed. "Looks like Beckett looted the place."

"Someone must have been watching over these though." Tai Huang noted, pointing out the chests.

"Look! My cordial." Lucy announced, holding up her gift from Father Christmas. "And my dagger."

"My horn." Susan smiled. "I must have left it on my horse the day we went back." The crew grinned. It was the happiest they'd seen the children since they'd rescued them. And apparently, they were disheartened to find the home they'd known a pile of rubble.

Peter remained silent the entire time. He held up a large emblem with Aslan's face carved into it. It was covered in dust and dirt. Peter blew it off and set the plate aside. Will picked it up and Gibbs stared at it with him. "Aslan." Will breathed. Edmund was trying to shoo Ragetti and Pintel away from his precious chest.

Peter quietly picked up his sword and reverently unsheathed it. _"Wrong will be put right,_ _when Aslan comes in sight,"_ he read solemnly.

" _When Aslan bears His teeth, winter meets its death,"_ Will added.

" _When He shakes His mane, we shall have spring again."_ Lucy's small voice chimed in. "Everyone we knew before: Mr. Tumnus and the Beavers. They're all gone." Everyone was quiet again with long faces, not sure what to say.

"I think it's time we put things to right." Peter declared.

* * *

The Pevensie children changed into what remained of their royal clothes, extended a bit of their armor and food to the crew, and decided to check things out on the landscape before returning to the ship. On the western side of the island, near the beach, they saw a small rowboat on the river. It had the **East India Trading Company** logo painted on it. Three men in blue uniforms were guarding a dwarf who was bound and gagged! "This is as good a place as any." One of them said. They stopped rowing, then two of them grabbed the helpless dwarf, one by the feet and one by the arms. They swung him about, ready to toss him into the river to drown.

"Hey!" Gibbs hollered.

"Let him go, ye scurvy rats!" Barbossa bellowed.

" _Drop him!"_ Susan commanded. The dwarf shook his head in protest. The soldiers tossed him into the water. Susan pulled back her bow and shot one of them with an arrow. She hit the next one, but the last guy dove out of the boat before her mark landed him. Will and Peter dove into the river to save the dwarf. Peter found him and pulled him up to surface.

Peter laid the dwarf onto the sand. Lucy quickly knelt down beside him and used her dagger to cut through his binds. He pulled his gag off and spat out water. "Nice job." Will nudged Peter.

The dwarf glanced up at his 'rescue party' and glared. _"_ _Drop him?!"_ He snapped. _"_ That's the best you can come up with?"

Susan was taken aback. "A simple _'thank you'_ would suffice." She retorted.

"They were doing fine drowning me, without your help."

"Maybe we should've let them." Peter grumbled.

"Appears your heroics may have been a waste on this shrimp." Barbossa said.

"Why were they trying to kill you anyway?" Lucy asked curiously.

"The high and mighty **East India Trading Company.** It's what they do." The dwarf griped. "They wanted what little bit of land I have. I wasn't about to let some strangers invade my land and just take my home from me!"

"Of course not." Will said sympathetically.

"The whole world has no doubt been intruded on by that money-grubbing band of tyrants. How did you _not_ know about them? Have you been living under a rock in the passed few years?" The dwarf squinted at the Pevensies.

"It's a bit of a long story." Lucy chuckled. Then Peter pulled out his sword. The dwarf saw the mantra.

" _Oh, you've got to be kidding me."_ He groaned in disbelief. "You're it? You're the kings and queens who were supposed to save us."

"High King Peter, the Magnificent."

"You probably could've left off the last bit." Barbossa said.

"Probably." Trumpkin snickered. "What are you doing here? We were hoping for someone who could help us."

Peter rolled his eyes. "We're here _now."_ Edmund interjected.

"Might who you be?" Gibbs asked.

"Trumpkin." The dwarf muttered. "What of it?"

"You can come with us." Lucy said. "We're here to make things right and we can keep you safe."

"Trumpkin don't need protection. I can handle myself."

"Sure you can." Will said gruffly, also ticked by the dwarf's attitude of ungratefulness. "That's why those men were able to drown you, isn't it?" Trumpkin rolled his eyes.

"I'll not be keeping company with the likes of you." Trumpkin glared at Peter, Susan, and Edmund.

"Fine." Peter growled.

"Well, if you really want to stay _here,_ then we'll be on our way." Edmund said firmly. "Just don't come running to us the next time you find yourself in a jam."

Trumpkin sighed heavily. "For Narnia." He said, lifting up his sword, then put it back.

"For Narnia." Susan agreed.

"For Narnia." Will joined in.

"We best be getting back to the ship." Barbossa told everyone.

* * *

As the band of pirates made their way back toward the shore, Lucy couldn't help but notice how quiet and _dead_ their magical land seemed to be. Her chest ached as she remembered the happier times. "They're so still." Lucy said sadly.

"The trees? What did you expect?" Trumpkin mumbled.

"They used to dance."

"Wasn't long after you left that Lord Beckett invaded. Those who survived, retreated to the woods. And the trees, they retreated so deep within themselves that they haven't been heard since." Trumpkin said. "Perhaps it best so."

"Beckett has cut down more and more trees. To build more and more ships, that he doesn't need." Gibbs added.

"I don't understand. How could Aslan have let this happen?" Lucy moaned.

"Aslan? I thought He abandoned us when you all did." Trumpkin said. Lucy hung her head, feeling the sting of his words.

"We didn't mean to leave, you know." Peter finally spoke. He was hurt and angry that most everyone, particularly the Narnians were accusing them of not caring for their people.

"Makes no difference now, does it?" Trumpkin sighed.

"Get us to the Narnians, and it _will."_ Peter pursed his lips.

* * *

The small ship looked as if it were sailing on a see of pure glass, as the numerous stars in the heavens reflected flawlessly on the water. An air of heaviness hovered deeply over all those aboard. Elizabeth was withdrawn, and would not share what was troubling her. Will wanted her to open up to him, but in his mind, apparently she didn't trust him enough to do so. Susan was conflicted about being here again. Peter was silently brooding over all these events. It seemed according to everyone else that this was all his fault! And no matter how hard he tried to prove himself, it made no difference. _"_ Maybe we never should have left." He said to himself.

Lucy sadly wandered about the ship, feeling everyone's eyes on her as she moved around. Will was sitting on a barrel of gunpowder, trying to mentally sort of his own problems. "Will?" Lucy asked.

"Yes, Lucy?" Will looked up.

"What happened to Jack? How come he hasn't shown up? And everyone barely speaks of him." Lucy moaned. Will sighed and straightened up.

"He's in Davy Jones' locker, darling." Will told her unhappily.

"I don't know what that means." Lucy shook her head.

"Well, Davy Jones was commissioned to ferry the souls lost at sea to their next worlds. He later abandoned his duty, and became ruthless instead killing people. You see, a person can still be alive if they swear servitude to Jones on the _Flying Dutchman_ for a hundred years. But it would be better to be dead. Living in command under Jones means doing his bidding, and Jack had promised this to Jones when he resurrected the _Black Pearl_ for Jack. Jack crossed Jones, who sent the Kraken after him.

'Jack tried everything to avoid being caught. But it was inevitable. The Kraken caught up with us, but while we had a chance to avoid being dragged down to the depths, Jack remained behind to fight the terrible beast and give us a chance to get away. He didn't make it.

'The locker is not a place of death, so to speak, but of punishment. It is a never-ending wasteland of a soul's worst fears. Davy Jones sends those there whom he deems unworthy to serve him, or those who have refused to do so. He is ruthless.'"

Tears filled Lucy's eyes. Her hand brushed over the silver jangle that hung from a chain on her neck, the jangle Jack had given her when they'd first met. Peter, Edmund, Susan, and Trumpkin had been listening intently, as had Elizabeth. She hated herself even more now. Yes, she'd wanted Jack punished for all his tricks and the trouble he'd put them through, but even he didn't deserve the fate he was trapped in now!

"Is there no way to stop Davy Jones?" Lucy asked sadly.

"Aye, lass. There be." Gibbs said. "Stab the heart. Stab the still beating heart of Davy Jones and he will be no more."

"Well then?" Edmund piped up.

"But, to stab the heart means to take Jones' place." Will said. "The _Dutchman_ must _always_ have a captain." Their faces fell.

"Then that's it then." Susan sighed.

"Why hasn't Aslan sprung Jack out?" Peter mentioned.

"Yes! Peter's right!" Lucy's eyes lit up. "Aslan could save Jack!"

"Aslan?" Barbossa puffed.

"The Great Lion, Sir." Gibbs replied. "I meself have heard many wonderful tales about Him. Though I have never seen Him myself."

"He is the one True King of Narnia. He created Narnia." Edmund said.

"Aye? And just where has this _great lion_ been while the seas are in dire need of survival?" Barbossa asked sarcastically.

"I don't know." Lucy said, feeling dejected now. "He doesn't always show up, or explain what He's doing."

"Is He safe?" Pintel asked worriedly. He for one did not want to come to face to face with a lion, not after the Kraken!

"Who said anything about safe?" Susan rolled her eyes. "Of course He isn't. After all, He's not a tame lion."

"Well, you certainly have no problem in making yourself heard, Miss." Barbossa said wryly. Susan shook her head.

"But He _is_ good!" Lucy piped up defensively for Aslan.

"Davy Jones is not a man to be crossed. He is downright brutal and a true monster." Gibbs said.

"Aslan is more powerful than any sea monster." Lucy said firmly. That silenced all aboard. Lucy gazed back out at the sea.

Elizabeth was at the stern. Now she wanted more than ever to see Jack again, to know he was okay. But, once they did, the truth would have to come out and everyone would know that it had been her who'd really out Jack in the locker, a fate worse than death, something she could barely imagine! Will did not know, but she'd had nightmares and day-mares this whole voyage of what Jack could be going through at this very moment and it was all her fault! If she had known what was truly in store for her friend, she never would have left him to the Kraken! Why hadn't she just backed off and left him to make the choice to do something courageous like she'd challenged him before? How could she not see it before? Jack loved his ship, it was his precious baby. Surely he'd been intending to stay behind and fight for her all along! But Elizabeth just had to step in and push it, not giving him a choice! _"How could I have done such a thing?"_ She asked herself over and over. _"He was a better man than I ever believed. This is my fault!"_ Her leaving Jack behind to the Kraken would forever remain a stain on her soul. How would he ever forgive her? She prayed he would, but how in the world could he find it inside himself to after what she'd done?

"Are we going to continue not talking?" Will interrupted her thoughts.

"Once we rescue Jack, everything will be fine." Elizabeth sighed.

"When we rescue Jack?" Will echoed solemnly. Elizabeth clammed up. Will looked ahead. Something was off. The ocean, it was...it ended!

"For what we want most, there is a cost that must be paid in the end." Tia Dalma said. Will gazed at her necklace. Then it dawned on him! She was Calypso, Davy Jones' love! He charged at Barbossa. They were in danger!

"Barbossa! The head!" Will hollered.

"Aye. We're good and lost now." Barbossa smirked.

"Lost?!" Elizabeth gasped.

"For certain ye have to be lost to find places that can't be found." Barbossa said dramatically. Peter grasped the situation. A colossal waterfall awaited them and if they didn't turn back now, they would be doomed. "Else ways, everyone would know where it was."

"We're gaining speed!" Gibbs shouted.

"Aye." Barbossa sneered.

"You're mad!" Susan shouted at him. "You're going to kill us all!"

"Turn the bow! Turn the bow!" Peter hollered at the captain.

"To stations!" Will yelled when he could see that Barbossa wasn't going to change course. "All hands to stations!"

"Nay! Belay that! Let her run straight and true." Barbossa croaked proudly. The crew raced to the stern of the ship.

"Blimey." Ragetti gulped hard. They were drawing closer and closer to the edge!

* * *

 **This chapter was a bit on the depressing side, but I hope the next two make up for it! What did you think?**


	4. Chapter 4 This is Madness!

"Give the men another chance? Ha! It's that sort of thinking is what got us into this mess." Jack seethed. "We have lost speed, and therefore, time." Jack wiped his 'bloody' sword off the deck rail, 'cleaning' it. "Precious time, which cannot be recovered once lost. Do you understand?! Do you now?" He sheathed his sword and marched with a huff about the deck. "It will all have to be redone. _All of it!_ And let this serve as a lesson to the lot of you." Jack strutted around, twittering his fingers, and letting out his inner antagonistic self, and bellowed as if he were addressing a band of insufficient crew members.

"Doldrums, sir. Has the entire crew on edge. I have no sympathy for any of you feculant maggots, and no more patience to pretend otherwise.'" Jack said haughtily, then he hopped onto the railing as he grabbed one of the ropes. "Gentlemen? I wash my hands of this weirdness!" He slid down the rope and dropped to the ground.

Jack licked the tip of his index finger and held it up. Nothing. "No wind." He muttered. "Of course there's _no_ bloody wind! My soul I do swear for a breeze." He went on wistfully. "Gust, whisper. A tiny, miniature lick." But this place, this _nowhere,_ this _no man's land_ was as dry as a whale bone, with an endless, water-less white horizon. Jack's throat was parched, and his tongue constantly cried out in despair for just one taste of the glorious salty sea air. But nothing, here was just nothing! Some men feared monsters, some went into despair if they were not revered. For Captain Jack Sparrow, this was his fate worse than death. A white, blazing desert that drifted all around as far as the eye could see, with no waterhole, no mountains, no ocean breezes, and not a precious drop of rum!

"What I wouldn't give for one precious bottle of rum," Jack moaned woefully, "then the rest of the world can pass by in a blur, and I could care less!" Oh, if only he had just a bit of rum, then he could drown his sorrows away!

Jack's nose caught a whiff of something. He glanced down at the ground, and saw nothing...nothing but a single white rock. Jack picked it up, frowning. There wasn't really anything he could do with it. So he tossed it aside. "Yes, sir. I know, but why?" Jack spoke sarcastically out loud as he neared the ship again. "Why would he do that? Because he's a lummox, isn't he? We shall have a magnificent garden party, and you're not invited. _Ha, ha, ha."_

He thought he felt a pair of eyes leering on him from behind. Jack slowly, suspiciously turned his head around. There it was again! A single rock. "Bloody rock." Jack said under his breath. This was so weird, and it was beginning to make him feel just a bit creeped out. "Shoo." He waved to the stone, hoping it would go away. It didn't budge. Jack began to walk away but then quickly whipped back around. It was still there. This was more than odd, it was spooky.

Jack picked it up again. "A rock." He sighed in exasperation. He stuck out his tongue and gave it a lick. _Pffteesh!_ Salty gravel. Jack cringed, and threw it out again, this time farther. He did not, however, watch the rock become a shell and grow a pair of legs!

"Now we're being followed by rocks. Never heard that before." Jack stated in confusion as he stood next to his vessel. He was so bored, so lonely, and so itching to feel the flow of his boat on the mighty waves.

 _Shhhtnenenshh._ Jack thought he heard a loud _whisp_ behind his back. Well, what had he _not_ seen and heard in this place? Ocean breezes, that's what. _Whisp!_ There it was again! A tiny crackling noise was fluttering around the corner. Jack suspiciously tip-toed around the ship, his dark, beady eyes wildly darting back and forth. He had a quivering feeling that _something or someone_ was watching him! But that was impossible. He could have sworn that he felt something tap his shoulder, and whipped his head back, but saw nothing. "Now I'm hearing shadows." He groaned. "What's gonna be nex...ggiyyaaaahhh!" He screamed as something pounced onto his chest and knocked him flat on his back.

"Choose your last words carefully, bloody pirate!" A voice growled down at him.

Jack winced, then blinked several times, his eyes wide with confusion, and his brows furrowed in utter bewilderment. He could _NOT_ believe what he saw talking to him! 'It' was standing on his chest, and was pointing a tiny sword right at his nose!

"You...you are a _mouse!"_ Jack squawked.

The mouse, at least two feet tall, groaned and rolled his eyes. He wore a weapon strap across his chest and a tiny red feather linked to a small golden band around his left ear. " _Ugh._ I was hoping for something a little more original." The mouse sighed. "Pick up your sword."

Jack scrunched up his face even more, then glanced suspiciously back at the mouse. _Just_ when he thought things could _not possibly_ become any crazier! "How about we negotiate?" He offered hopefully.

"Come on. Pick up your sword. I will not fight an unarmed man." The mouse insisted.

Jack shook his head. "This place is getting more battier all the time. Now I'm being challenged to a duel, by a _rat."_

The mouse glowered. "Look, I said I wouldn't fight you." He said calmly, then pounced again. "I _didn't_ say I'd let you live!"

"Ain't you heard? I _ain't_ livin'!" Jack laughed humorlessly, shrugging. "I'm talking, and I can walk. But according to the rest of the bloody world, I'm dead. So you _can't_ kill me. _Voila!_ _"_ The mouse hopped off and Jack sat up, hoping the little pipsqueak would evaporate into thin air in this maddening desert.

"Come on. On your feet!" The mouse commanded. Jack pouted. "Up!"

"See here now." He protested. "What the blazes are _you_ doing here, pipsqueak?"

"I was sent." The mouse bowed. "Master Reepicheep, Knight of Narnia, at your service."

" _Sent."_ Jack grunted cynically. "By whom? Ohh! So, they didn't think this punishment was harsh enough, is that it? You've come to torture me brains to death til I go completely mad. Aye, I see how it is."

" _No, smarty boots."_ The mouse hissed. "Aslan Himself sent me."

" _Aslan."_ Jack sneered. "Get away, babbling rodent. You bother me." He brushed the mouse away with a flick of his hand and clumsily stood up.

"Ohff! Honestly, so ungrateful." Reepicheep shook his head.

"First rocks, and now talking mice." Jack jeered to himself. " _Aslan Himself sent me."_ He mimicked in a squeaky voice. "Well, got news for you, ye tipsy, babbling fur-ball! You're wasting your time!" He hollered at Reepicheep. Then he noticed a rope hanging from the ship's side. "Oh. A rope." He tugged on it and it coiled in a heap at his feet.

Trailing rocks, and talking, bossy mice. This was the last straw! Captain Jack Sparrow was getting out of this crazy place once and for all, somehow. Jack walked out as far as he could away from the ship, and tugged against the rope on his shoulder. His dearly beloved the _Black Pearl_ belonged at sea, and Jack was going to get her there. He heaved, and tugged, and pulled, and lunged with all that he had in him, but seeing as he was one man against a _magnificent, fierce, and huge-ish_ ship, the vessel did not budge an inch. Jack grunted, and groaned, and huffed, and puffed, and growled. He gave it all he had, but it was no use.

Reepicheep stood there with his paws crossed, shaking his head. He could not believe what he was seeing. This guy was nuts! "Save your back and you just might be able to call down a flood from the sky." Reepicheep said snarkily. Jack tried to ignore him and nearly knocked his shoulder out of joint as he tried to pull even harder! "A turtle could go faster." Reepicheep taunted him. "You're not going anywhere very soon." Jack's face turned crimson, partly from the extreme demand he was putting on himself, and the rest was all storming anger from the little fur-ball's jeering and the blasted fact that he couldn't get his precious ship where she belonged. "Why did I ever agree to help this lunatic?" Reepicheep palmed his face.

Jack panted in the heat and blaze of the sun. He glanced out of the corner of his eyes. That rock! It was no longer a rock, but a crab! That was the _last_ he could take. Jack finally collapsed. Reepicheep rolled his eyes. "This one's gonna be a challenge. Stubborn as a mule, hasn't got the sense of a tin bucket! Ahh, well. Hop to it then!" The crab crept away and snapped his claws, summoning an army of other rocks that had mysteriously appeared out of nowhere. The stones became crab shells which obeyed their leader's summoning.

Jack's eyes popped open as he felt a shadow hover over him. It was a shadow! Jack bolted sitting up, startled, then looked into the sky. No way! _The Black Pearl was moving!_ She was 'sailing' across the desert floor! Jack feebly made it to his feet and stepped back, staring blankly at the ship being transported by a fleet of _crabs!_ Jack's senses completely halted for a moment. Now he _had_ lost it!

The ship trailed away. Then a tiny brown creature wearing a red feather peeked out, perched out on the helm. "Oui, cocoa locks?!" The mouse called. "Don't just stand there dumb like a Minotaur with a brain injury! You comin' or not?!"

Jack's jaw hung open and he just stood there. This was insane, to put it _mildly!_ He must have gone insane! Then, he came to life and bolted after the _Black Pearl,_ having no desire to be left behind!

* * *

 **Ha, ha, ha. This chapter was fun to write! But I can hardly wait to share the next one!**


	5. Chapter 5 This is Real, We're Here

**Can't believe I forgot to say this, but Happy New Year! If you enjoyed the previous chapter, I hope you like this one just as much. I had a blast writing it! Though I had to go and look back over it more than once to make sure I included everyone.**

* * *

The Pevensies and their crew had survived the deadly waterfall plunge, no thanks to Barbossa, and had finally reached what was supposed to be the end of the world, according to Sao Feng's charts. Peter, Susan, and Will were more than ticked with Barbossa for the danger he'd put them in so eagerly. Everyone trudged onto land, drenched on the beach. "This truly is a godforsaken place." Gibbs remarked, cringing.

"I don't see Jack! I don't see anyone." Elizabeth moaned. She was truly relieved to finally reach the locker, yet as much as she was anxious to see her friend, she was dreading the response she would get when she saw Jack again.

"He's here." Barbossa said confidently. Lucy gripped the jangle, hoping he was right. Nevertheless, she kept her distance from the creepy old man. "Davy Jones never once gave up what he took."

Will was instantly at his side. "It doesn't matter. We're trapped here by your doing. No different than Jack!"

"You put all of us in danger, and almost got my family killed!" Peter added his fury. "You're going to pay for that."

"This is a waste of time. There's nobody here." Susan said.

"Nay." Tia Dalma interjected, stroking a white crab. "Witty Jack is closer than you think."

Just on the peak of a great sand dune, the crow's nest of a ship was rising above it! It climbed higher and higher till they could see the mast. Indeed, it was the _Black Pearl!_ She glided beautifully across the sand back into the ocean water.

Tai Huang gaped. "Impossible." He said.

"Boat." Ragetti pointed out, gaping.

"I don't believe it." Peter stated.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Edmund exclaimed.

"Someone please tell me I'm not the only one seeing this." Trumpkin groaned.

"It's Jack's ship. It's the _Pearl!"_ Lucy blurted out happily. They all watched closely as a very familiar, lanky, but clumsy figure hopped down into the water and approached them on the beach.

"Slap me thrice, and hand me to me mama. It's Jack!" Gibbs declared gleefully. The band raced toward Jack to greet him rapturously...all but Elizabeth. She wanted to join them. She was truly happy to know that Jack was alive and seemed no worse for wear physically. But she couldn't bring herself to face him yet.

"It's the captain!" Pintel hooted.

"A sight for sore eyes!"

" _Hide the rum."_ Cotton's parrot squawked.

"Jack!" Gibbs called out with joy as he was the first to reach his old friend. Jack, however, did not smile back.

"Mr. Gibbs!" He buffed out.

"Aye, Cap'n."

"I thought so." Jack said sternly. "I expect you're able to account for your actions, then."

"Sir?" Gibbs frowned with confusion, and a bit of dejection at his good mate's bitter manner.

"There's been a perpetual and virulent lack of discipline upon my vessel. _Why?_ Why is that sir?" Jack snapped in his face.

 _He must not realize what's happening,_ Gibbs thought. "Sir, you're... _you're in Davy Jones'_ _locker, Cap'n."_ He whispered cautiously.

Jack's lip curled offensively. "I know that." Jack said flatly. "I know where I am. And don't think I _don't!"_

"Jack Sparrow." Barbossa smiled slyly.

Jack turned and his face lit up in surprise. "Ahh, Hector! it's been too long, hasn't it?" He smiled.

Barbossa nodded. "Aye. Isla De Muerta, remember? _You shot me!"_

Jack gulped hard. "No, I didn't." He said sheepishly and quickly stepped away from the crotchety old buffoon.

"A common enemy unites even the oldest of foes." Reepicheep said in the background.

"Jack, you're alive." Edmund breathed with relief.

"Ed, my man." Jack smirked. "You've grown." He said dryly.

"We have anxiously awaited your return, my liege." Reepicheep greeted Peter with a respectful bow as he made his presence known to all. "Our hearts and swords are at your service."

" _Our?"_ Jack interjected. "Where did this _we_ business come from? There is no _our_ in this place. There is no _we!_ There is just me, myself, and I. Every man for himself!"

"Great! Then let's just see how well you fare on your own in this wasteland, you fluttering interloper!" Reepicheep retorted, earning a few snickers from the audience. "Perhaps I should just take you back where I found you." Jack grimaced sourly. He wished the little fur ball would just vanish. He was very tempted to shoot him.

"That's a tellin' him, _fuzzy."_ Barbossa approved to the rodent and his monkey Jack clapped his paws.

"Oh my gosh, he is so cute." Lucy whispered to Susan, staring at the mouse.

Reepicheep was not so appreciative with Lucy's sentiment, as he sharply drew out his sword in a defense stance. _"Who said that?!"_ He hollered furiously.

"Sorry." Lucy said sheepishly.

"Oh!" Reepicheep sputtered, realizing who he was talking to. "Uhh, Your Majesty, with the greatest respect, I do believe _courageous, courteous, or chivalrous_ might more befit a knight of Narnia."

"I'll try to remember that." Lucy promised.

"Ahh, Peter!" Jack looked him up and down.

" _High King_ Peter." Peter corrected him dryly.

"Lookin' good, lad." Jack slapped his arm. "You seem mighty fit. Don't recall saying to you, 'I'll be seeing you in my dreams,' before you _deserted_ Narnia. But, voila. Here we are!" Jack shrugged. "A real nightmare, isn't it?"

"But, Jack. It's not a dream!" Lucy called to him. For a moment, he blinked in astonishment and stared blankly. Lucy! She was here? Must be his wishful thinking. He noticed the jangle that hung about her neck. So she hadn't forgotten him! He was pleased to see that. But this was still a dream. Then he went back to his sassy facade.

"And Lucy." He genuinely smiled with his arms held out broadly. "My _dear little friend._ Sorry you have to see me like this, but I'm afraid our ride on the _Pearl_ will have to wait, love."

"It's not funny." Susan scolded the sassy pirate. After what they'd gone through to rescue _him,_ he could at least have the courtesy to show them some appreciation.

"Ahh, yes." Jack narrowed his eyes. "Queen Susan, the-what was that name again?" He tapped his chin, pretending he'd forgotten.

" _The gentle."_ Susan rolled her eyes.

"Right." Jack muttered. "Lovely as ever. And just as feisty. How nice of you to come all this way, _just_ to see me! But I'm afraid you're wasting your time, dearie." Susan glared up at him.

Peter rolled his eyes. "Well, if you like, we can come back in a few years." He said flatly to Jack. Jack slightly flinched.

"And why not?" He responded sarcastically to the High King of Narnia. "It's what you do best!" Peter was furious and clenched his sword handle. Let them leave Jack behind here, for all he cared. Jack could see that he hit a nerve, and he grinned devilishly then moved on to the next person."Tia Dalma! Out and about, eh? "He smiled. "You add an agreeable amount of the macabre to any delirium."

"He thinks we're a hallucination." Will muttered.

Jack strolled over to him. "William, tell me something." He said in a condescending tone. "Have you come because you need my help to save a _certain distressing damsel?"_ He rolled his eyes. "Or rather, _damsel in distress?_ Either one."

"No." Will said fervently.

"Well, then you wouldn't be here, would you? So you _can't_ be here! Q.E.D. You're not really here!"

"Jack?" Interrupted a very familiar, soft voice. "This is real, we're here!" Elizabeth told him, finally showing her face.

That's where Jack found himself speechless. He blinked and tried to think of something fast and contrary to mention, but his mind went blank. Elizabeth! What was she doing here? How could it be? Why in the world had she come? Why _her,_ of all people? Why had she risked uncharted dangers to be here, in the last place any sane person would ever want to be? Unless...unless this was real, and she wanted to save him...Nope! No. That wasn't possible! She was the one who had put him here.

Jack quickly trotted back to his trusty friend Gibbs. "The locker, you say?" He sputtered.

"Aye." Gibbs nodded. Jack rubbed his forehead trying to grasp the reality that his friends really had come to get him out of here.

Elizabeth took a step forward. "We've come to rescue you!" She nearly pleaded.

Jack threw her a stormy countenance. _"H_ _ave you now?"_ He answered snarkily as he approached her. "That's very kind of you. But it would seem as _I_ posses a ship and you _don't,_ you're the ones in need of rescuing. And I'm not sure as I'm in the mood. Savvy?" He frowned directly at Elizabeth. She remained silent and hung her head.

Barbossa disregarded his little grand speech. "I see my ship, right there." He commented smugly, pointing to the _Black Pearl._

Jack hovered his palm over his eyes as he gazed into the distance. "Can't spot it! Must be a tiny little thing hiding somewhere behind the _Pearl."_

"Jack! Cutler Beckett has the heart of Davy Jones!" Will told him. "He controls the _Flying Dutchman."_

"He's taking over the seas." Elizabeth grabbed Jack's arm.

"The song has already been sung. The Brethren Court is called." Tia Dalma added.

"He attacked and pillaged Cair Paravel." Edmund said.

Jack listened and grimaced. "I leave you people alone for just a minute," he shook his head, "and look what happens! Everything's gone to pot!"

"Aslan sent us to find you! That's why we're here." Peter snapped.

Jack cringed saucily. _"Aslan_ again. Ohhff, pfft!" He waved his hand. "I've heard that before. You should keep playing that card, it's a good one."

"Jack? Please come back. Narnia needs you." Lucy begged.

"Aye, Jack. The world needs you back something fierce!" Gibbs pleaded.

"And you need a crew." Will said firmly.

Jack sighed. They were right, but he wasn't about to give them the satisfaction that they'd for once had to rescue Captain Jack Sparrow. It had certainly taken them long enough! He looked at them with a patronizing smile. "Why should I sail with any of you? Four of you have tried to kill me in the past. One of you succeeded." He stated.

Will's eyes widened and he immediately glanced toward Elizabeth. She opened her mouth but said nothing, and could barely look Jack in the eye. Jack's eyes lit up with gloating. "Ohh!" He exclaimed gleefully. "She's not told you. You'll have loads to talk about while you're here. As for you..." He made his way to Tia Dalma.

"Now, don't tell me you didn't enjoy it at the time." She said flirtatiously. Jack grinned.

"Fair enough." He chuckled. "All right. you're in. Don't need you. You scare me." He frowned at Ragetti. Ragetti merely hung his head. Jack stopped short when he noticed another dwarf he'd never seen before. "Where did you come from?" Jack stared down at Trumpkin.

"Wasn't my idea, trust me." Trumpkin mumbled. Jack stood with his hands on his hips.

"Well, now. Should I choose to recruit you on my vessel and leave this hellhole-mind you, I'm _not_ saying that I'm going to!-But, should I be so generous, what are your intentions should I perform such a philanthropist deed?"

"Go back to where I belong and forget I ever knew this lot of crazy people." Trumpkin said glumly.

"Smart man." Jack nodded with a grin. "All right, you've a place aboard the _Pearl._ Gibbs, you come. Marty, m mm." Jack grimaced as he looked at Pintel. "Lucy, you'll come of course. You be always welcome on my ship, darling." Lucy smiled at him. "Ed. We could always use a fair swordsman. And...Peter. _Well_...it'll be a bit crammed in the brig with your distressing damsel sister what's-her-face." Jack teased mercilessly. Peter glowered dangerously. Susan pffted and marched away in a huff. "Cotton. Cotton's parrot, I'm a little iffy. But at least I'll have someone to talk to. _Who are you?"_ Jack stopped short when he noticed the Asian men.

"Tai Huang. These are my men." The leader said.

" _W_ _here_ do your allegiances lie?"

"With the highest bidder."

"I have a ship."

"That makes you the highest bidder." Tai Huang smiled.

"Good man. Weigh anchor! All hands! Prepare to make sail!" Jack barked orders, then glanced down at his compass. To his chagrin, it was turning like a rudder in the wind and wouldn't stop. Jack snapped it shut.

" _Jack?"_ Barbossa prodded slyly. Jack glanced at him out of the corner of his eyes. "Which way ya goin', Jack?" Barbossa sneered, patting Sao Feng's charts. Jack pouted. He'd lost a tad of leverage on them now, the ones he wanted to think that he would leave them behind. Jack held his head high, trying to ignore them. "See ye found yourself a new pet of your own, eh, Jack?" Barbossa teased.

Jack cringed. "I can handle meself just fine. As for you? You couldn't master the _Pearl_ on your own if you tried, that's why you need said pet, because he's the only one that will help you without fear of losing his head."

"I can see being in the locker hasn't improved his manners." Will huffed as he and Elizabeth stomped behind Peter and Susan.

"When this is over, I'm gonna kill him." Peter grumbled.

"You'll be waiting in line a long time then, I'm afraid." Will sighed sympathetically.

" _Who are you calling a pet,_ _broad beam_ _?!"_ Reepicheep hissed at Barbossa from atop Jack's tricorn hat. "I'll have you know, good sir, that I may be small, I may be a mouse, but I am the fiercest knight in all of Narnia. You call me _pet_ again, I will personally turn that your precious hat into shreds!" He pointed his sword at Barbossa's nose. Barbossa rolled his eyes.

"That so? I'll be looking forward to seeing you later...served up with garlic and tumeric." He sneered, patting his monkey on the arm.

"Hey! Off my hat!" Jack growled at Reepicheep, smacking wildly at his cap. _"You_ are staying here." He crossed his arms.

"Ha!" Reepicheep retorted. " _As if!_ If I were Aslan, I'd bite your big head right off."

"And what's to prevent me from ham-stringing you up with the rest of the ship's rations?" Jack puffed.

"Ha, ha, ha. I'd like to see you try!" Reepicheep laughed haughtily. "You couldn't catch me if you had the speed of a monkey, _Jelly Legs!"_ Reepicheep smirked and hopped away.

" _Mmm...mmmehhh!"_ Jack snarled, at a loss for words. He pulled out his pistol, huffing and contemplating turning the little rodent into rat stew. He decided against it and placed the firearm back into his belt, then charged toward the _Pearl._ Things were not going his way, the grand way he had planned, but at least he was finally on his way out of this place!

* * *

As the crew scattered about the deck, Barbossa hobbled toward the helm, barking orders.

"Trim that sail!" He commanded.

"Trim that sail!" Jack echoed him, scurrying quickly toward him.

"Slack windward brace and sheet!" Barbossa bellowed.

"Slack windward brace and sheet!" Jack repeated.

"Haul the pennant line!"

"Haul the pennant line!" Jack spouted.

Barbossa was very irritated and stopped Jack. _"What_ are you doing?" He snarled.

"What are _you doing?"_ Jack growled back.

"No, what _are_ you doing?" Barbossa hollered.

"What are you doing?"

"No, what _arrrrgghhh_ you doing?"

"What are you doing? Mmm...the captain gives the orders on the ship." Jack said.

"The captain of this ship _is_ giving orders." Barbossa sneered.

" _My_ ship, makes me captain." Jack said quickly.

"They be my charts."

"Well..." Jack shrugged in exasperation. "That makes you...chart man!"

"What childish nonsense." Susan shook her head, her jaw dropping.

"Stow it! The both of you! That's an order! _Understand?!"_ Pintel abruptly screeched at the bickering captains. They didn't even blink but only gaped in surprise. Pintel shrank back timidly. "Sorry." He smiled sheepishly. "I just thought with the captain issue in doubt, I'd throw my name in for consideration. Sorry." Jack and Barbossa said nothing, but both raced to the stairs leading to the helm, trying to push each other aside and be the first one up.

"I'd vote for you." Ragetti smiled, nudging his pal.

"Yeah?" Pintel cocked his head.

Barbossa opened his long telescope and gazed off into the distance. Jack cocked his head at him then smirked. Anything Barbossa did, he could do better! Or so he thought. He pulled out his own spyglass, but to his chagrin, it barely extended. He yanked on it but it had reached its limit of length. Barbossa just grinned smugly. Jack sulked away, pouting.

"Those two remind me of somebody else we know." Lucy said knowingly to Susan, who found herself chuckling. They looked at Peter and Edmund.

" _What?"_ Edmund creased his eyebrows.

"Nothing." Lucy giggled. The _Black Pearl_ changed course and was finally on her way out of Davy Jones' locker!


	6. Chapter 6 What Lucy Saw

It was nearing sunset. Jack was in sea captain bliss, letting the breeze rush on his face again, and feeling his old girl race on water again! As rejoicing as everyone was to have Jack back, a sense of dread hovered over them. Tomorrow, if they were not out of the locker by sunset, they would be in Davy Jones' locker, forever! Jack and Barbossa were going over the charts several times, but it wasn't clicking exactly how they could get out of here.

Will looked all over for Elizabeth. It was finally clear to him why she'd been so distant and skittish, and withdrawn from him. He found her down in the cellar. She was sitting on the stairs, looking lost. "You left Jack to the Kraken". Will stated.

Elizabeth sniffled. "He's rescued now. It's done with." She said quietly. Will looked away. Elizabeth stood up. "Will, I thought I had no choice. Seemed like the only thing to do at that time. It was wrong, I know"

"You chose not to tell me." Will said hurtfully.

"I couldn't! It wasn't your burden to bear." Elizabeth said.

"But I _did_ bear it, didn't I? I just didn't know what it was. I thought..."

Reality dawned on Elizabeth and now she knew that Will had seen her kissing Jack when she'd trapped him on the ship! "You thought I loved him!" She gasped in dismay. She started to leave but Will took her arm and made her face him.

"If you make your choices alone, how can I trust you?" He asked dejectedly.

"You can't." Elizabeth wept and rushed up the stairs. Will remained where he was, hurt and disappointed.

* * *

Elizabeth sat down near Susan who was thoughtfully watching her brother Peter stand rigidly against the mast. He seemed lost in his own world, and it didn't look like a friendly place. Peter hadn't said a word since they'd boarded the _Pearl,_ and he looked so unapproachable with that darkened look on his face. Will appeared but Elizabeth didn't face him. Will instead stood by Peter. "We'll get out of this somehow." Will whispered. Peter was stubbornly crossing his arms.

"This was a waste." Peter said stiffly.

"A waste..." Will glanced over at him.

"I thought we came back because Narnia needed us, not _him."_ Peter pursed his lips. "He could at least be grateful we even gave him the time of day, and risked our lives to save his!" He glared in Jack's direction across the deck. "And for what? He doesn't care. And now we're stuck in here, because of him. This isn't what we came for."

"Peter..." Susan tried to calm him.

"We'd be better off without him." Peter muttered.

"Peter," Will spoke up, "Jack is a sly fox, and likes to pick at us more than I'd like, I know. But he's worth more than you think. Now, yes, he has a notorious habit for getting his friends into scrapes, and 'persuading' us to do things without us realizing what we're getting ourselves into. Trust me, I know what that's like! But he's still our friend. And right now he _is_ needed, now more than ever. This _wasn't_ as you call, a waste. And don't let his wise-cracks get into your head. He doesn't really mean it." Will nudged Peter's elbow, but Peter's face hadn't changed.

 _And don't let his wise-cracks get into your head. He doesn't really mean it. Yeah right!_ Peter thought to himself. It was Jack's attitude that was rippling Peter's already storming emotions into a whirlpool. Throughout this whole trip, 'rescue mission', the Pevensie children had been accused of abandoning their people and not caring. It wasn't true! But their efforts to prove otherwise made no difference. Jack had meant them only in jest, but his words about Peter leaving behind those he cared about being what he did best had hurt deeply. Maybe Jack had only been joking, but Peter certainly hadn't taken it as a joke. That had been the last thing Peter Pevensie needed to hear right now. _So, I'm no good. Nothing I do is gonna make any difference. Why am I even here? Aslan made a mistake this time. I don't want to believe that He actually expected us to rescue Jack! He's not worth it!_

The sun was resting on the horizon and it would be night soon. "I see you didn't forget me." Jack said to Lucy, eyeing the jangle she was wearing.

"No." Lucy smiled. "I'm glad you're all right."

"Same here, love." Jack nodded. Gibbs appeared.

"Do you think we'll make it?" Lucy asked him.

"We got to." Gibbs said. Both he and Jack began to walk away. Lucy gazed off into the distance, into the bright evening sun. Wait! The sun was taking a different form! Could it be? Was that...

"Aslan? Aslan!" Lucy cried out for joy. "It's Aslan over there!" She told her family, pointing to the sunset. "Don't you see? He was...right, there." Her voice saddened as she looked back at the sun.

"Do you see Him now?" Barbossa asked.

Lucy frowned at him. "I'm not crazy. He was there. He wanted us to follow Him."

"I'm sure it must have been a daydream." Peter said skeptically. "Just let that bear."

"Aye. The locker plays ugly mind games, just like desert mirages." One of the men said.

Lucy's face fell in dismay. Why didn't Peter listen? "I think I know Aslan when I see Him!" Lucy retorted defensively. "He spoke to me. He said that _Up is down."_

"Look, I ain't about to go runnin' into a godforsaken nothingness after someone who doesn't exist." Trumpkin groaned. Ragetti, Pintel, and Cotton's parrot agreed.

"It must have been a puff of clouds that looked like a lion, eh?" Barbossa suggested.

" _No."_ Lucy said flatly. "I know what I saw. It _was_ Aslan."

" _Lu..."_ Peter began.

"You sure, love?" Jack asked. Lucy frowned at all of them. Didn't they learn anything the last time? Tia Dalma said nothing. She only intensely watched the audience. Susan hadn't said a thing. She was unpleasantly experiencing deja vu.

"I'm sure it was your imagination, Lucy." Elizabeth offered softly. Lucy gaped hurtfully. She was nearly in tears.

"But I _wasn't_ imagining!" She cried.

"Lucy, there isn't anything out here for miles around." Will said, kindly but firmly.

"You know," Edmund spoke up slowly, "the last time _I_ didn't believe Lucy, I ended up looking pretty stupid." Susan only stared at the ground.

"Look, there ain't no lions within a thousand miles of here." Ragetti said. _"Are there?"_

"Why wouldn't I have seen Him?" Peter asked glumly.

"Maybe you weren't looking." Lucy said.

"I'm sorry, Lu." Peter shook his head and walked away. Lucy hung her head. Nobody believed her... _again!_ Edmund looked at her sympathetically.

"He could be wrong, you know." Elizabeth offered encouragingly. Lucy's face was reddening. She whimpered and marched away, away from all these people who thought she was just imagining things, away from her siblings who didn't trust her word, even after all they'd been through together in this place.

"It's not the first time this kind of thing happened. We all felt pretty silly after we didn't listen." Edmund told everyone else, giving Peter and Susan a knowing look. He felt bad for his little sister, remembering what had happened last time. Yet he didn't say for sure if he believed her. Even if he had, Susan hadn't spoken up and Peter had clearly made up his mind. Edmund removed himself from the group. Tia Dalma was throwing Peter a menacing look.

* * *

Jack went to search for his little friend. He found her on the stairs, hugging her legs, and silently crying tears, with her chin on top of her knees. Jack sat down next to her. "My tremendous intuitive sense of the female creature informs me that you are troubled." He said, a little too cheerfully. Lucy didn't face him.

"I can't believe it." She said unhappily. "I know it was Aslan! He wanted us to follow Him. I _wasn't_ seeing things!" She glanced at Jack, the only person who would listen to her right now.

"Of course not, love." He offered cheerily.

"Then why don't they believe me?" Lucy sniffled harder. "I didn't _think_ I saw Him, I _did_ see Him! They didn't believe me when I told them about Narnia either. I thought they would've changed their minds by now." Jack gaped. So, it wasn't just that Lucy was upset because people weren't listening to her. This whole world that they were sharing together, when Lucy had discovered it, they hadn't believed her then either. Jack gulped, trying to figure out how to make her feel better. He considered offering her a bottle of rum, that always cheered him up, but she was only a little girl. Then he thought of something!

"Let me show you something." He held up his index finger and reached into his pocket. Lucy sat up and wiped at the tears on her face.

"What is it?" Lucy asked.

"Have I ever shown you my compass?"

"Mmm...no. I don't believe you did." Lucy answered.

"Aah! Then let me show you now." Jack smiled. He opened his compass, and let Lucy look. She wasn't sure what was so special about it.

"At least it works." She mumbled.

"Nay, love. It is a great deal more than that!" Jack's eyes lit up. "You see, while this compass does not point true North, it is even better."

"Better?" Lucy furrowed his brows.

"Aye. This compass, points to whatever it is in the world that you desire most." Jack said dramatically, placing it in her hands.

"Really?" Lucy's eyes widened.

"Have I ever lied to you?" Jack squinted.

"Oh my gosh." Lucy mused, stunned as she gazed down into the face of the compass.

"Do you know what it is that you want, more than anything in the world?" Jack asked.

"I...yes. I believe I do." Lucy nodded.

"Then what does the compass say?" Jack prodded. Lucy looked. It was pointing toward the sunset.

"That way." Lucy looked at him. Jack took her hand and led her back to the railing.

"That way, eh? And _what_ is that way?" He asked 'skeptically'.

"Uhm...that way is..." Lucy's head shot up. Her face broadened into a smile. "Jack, that is where Aslan was! It's pointing that way!" Lucy cried for joy.

"The others may not believe you, darling," Jack said seriously, "but I promise you, the compass never lies." Lucy smiled widely. She felt much better. So, she _wasn't_ wrong after all! But, if only her family would see it that way too.

"Jack," her voice faltered dejectedly. "Do _you_ believe me?"

"Aye, Lucy. I believe you know _what_ you saw. Now, personally, I like to see what I'm believing in. Though being in the locker crazed me more than enough to last a lifetime! You say you saw Aslan. Keep believing that, dearie. The others will come around... _eventually."_

Lucy grabbed him by the waist in a hug. "Thank you, Jack." She said happily.

"You just look on it for a while, love." He pointed to the compass. He walked off and left Lucy at the railing, holding his compass.

" _I know it was You, Aslan! I'm not crazy. I saw You with my own eyes."_ Lucy whispered.

* * *

Everyone else focused on tasks at hand as night drew on them. Hardly anyone spoke to Lucy, not sure what to say, and afraid they'd hurt her feelings again. Peter hadn't spoken to anyone. Barbossa went over the charts again with Will, and some of the other men. Susan came out of the inside quarters and saw Tia Dalma looking at her. "Lucy is upset." Susan hung her head.

"She be your sister. You are family. You might just try acting like one." The mysterious woman said. Susan bit her lip. She clearly remembered hearing that before, and whom had said it to her. She saw Lucy leaning on the railing, holding Jack's compass.

"Care for some grub, poppet?" Pintel asked Lucy.

"No, thank you." She said softly.

"It's fillin', and not sure how long it will last." Pintel offered.

"I'm not hungry." Lucy shook her head.

"Suit yourself." Pintel nodded and brushed passed Susan as he left. She slowly approached and stood next to Lucy.

"Lucy?" Susan whispered.

"Mmm." Lucy grunted.

"Why do you think I didn't see Aslan?"

Lucy looked at her sister. "You believe me!"

"Well," Susan gave a small smile, "we survived the waterfall. And, well, we found Jack."

"I don't know. Maybe you didn't really want to."

"You always knew we'd be coming back here, didn't you?"

"I hoped so."

"I was finally getting used to the idea of being in England." Susan said wistfully.

"But, you're happy to be here, aren't you?" Lucy asked.

"While it lasts." Susan nodded quietly. Lucy looked away. So, Susan wasn't as happy here as she had first been years ago. Narnia wasn't the only thing that had changed. Lucy rested her chin on her arms and gazed out at the vast ocean in the moonlight.

Unbeknownst to the girls, Jack had been listening from his perch up at the wheel. He'd heard many tales of this great lion Aslan, and the Pevensies had said that He'd sacrificed His own life to save Edmund. But even the great Captain Jack Sparrow himself in all his wildest adventures had _never_ seen or met the Great Lion...that he knew of. They were only young girls, but Lucy and Susan were both wise beyond their years in his opinion. Maybe it wasn't by chance that they'd ever met, or that they were here now. Jack felt a penetrating pair of eyes on his back. He shifted his gaze and found Barbossa standing there. Apparently, he'd been listening too.


	7. Chapter 7 Lost Souls at Sea

Darkness had fallen. Ragetti and Pintel were sitting on the edge of the ship, with Ragetti dangling his legs when suddenly he jumped back and gasped. Hundreds of white corpses flowed under the water. Both men were stunned and petrified. Until the two rascals thought of a terrible idea. "I wonder what would happen if you dropped a cannon ball on one of them." Ragetti suggested.

"It's worth a try!" Pintel agreed. They scurried below deck then returned, chuckling until Tia Dalma faced them and shot them a killer glare.

"Be disrespectful, it would." Pintel sighed.

"They should be in the care of Davy Jones!" Tia Dalma said angrily. "That was the duty he was charged with, by the goddess Calypso. To ferry those who die at sea to the other side. And every ten years, he would come ashore to be with she who love him, truly. But the man has become a monster!"

"So, he wasn't always... _tentacally._ '" Ragetti wiggled his fingers to illustrate his point.

"No." Tia Dalma smiled fondly. "He was a man once." She lovingly stroked her necklace. Pintel and Ragetti came closer and looked out.

Lucy let out a petrified cry as the bodies floated underneath her. Peter was instantly at her side. "What's wrong, Lu?" He asked.

"Oh, Peter! Look." Lucy said mournfully. Peter gazed down into the water grimly.

"Lucy?" Susan appeared with Edmund. Their faces fell at the disheartening sight. Reepicheep removed his feather from his head and held it to his chest. "What's happened?" Susan asked in alarm.

"This be the land of the dead, I heard." Trumpkin replied unhappily. "These must be the souls lost at sea."

"Horrible." Susan hung her head.

"I've never seen anything like that before." Lucy said with tears, as Peter wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "So dreadful." By now, the rest of the crew were gathering at the railings to see the painstaking sight.

"Now there's boats coming." Ragetti mentioned. Sure enough, hundreds of people in small rowboats quietly sailed around the ship. So many of them, including innocent little children! All of them were as pale as the moonlight, and they all shared a glossy, blank look. Gibbs raised his rifle, but Will stopped him.

"They're not a threat to us. Am I right?" Will asked.

Tia Dalma shook her head. "We are nothing but ghosts to them." She explained.

"So, you're saying...they're actually dead?" Peter inquired. The mysterious woman nodded.

"It's too late to do anything to save them?" Susan was shedding tears too.

"It's best to just let them be." Barbossa said solemnly. Edmund and Susan glanced up at him. They'd never seen Barbossa so, _humane,_ except when he'd realized he was actually dying after Jack had shot him and Will had lifted his curse. Susan gripped Edmund's arm and he touched her hand. Lucy clung to Peter.

Elizabeth looked out and her heart lept when she saw a familiar figure in one of the rowboats. "It's my father." Her face lit up. "We've made it back! Father! Father, here. Look here!" She called out with joy. Governor Swann did not acknowledge her.

" _Elizabeth,"_ Jack spoke sadly, looking at her with a face full of regret, "we're not back." Elizabeth's smile instantly faded and a chill of terror raced down her spine when he said that. Will looked at his beloved sadly and tried to reach over passed Barbossa to squeeze Elizabeth's hand.

"Oh no." Susan winced.

Elizabeth didn't want to believe what Jack had just told her. No, she couldn't. "Father!" She yelled more fiercely. Governor Swann tilted his head in confusion at first then faced her.

"Elizabeth!" He answered. "Are you dead?"

"No, no." Elizabeth shook her head.

"I think I am." Governor Swann said in a choked voice.

"No, you can't be!" Elizabeth cried.

"There was this chest, you see. It's odd." Her father explained blankly. "At the time it seemed so important."

"Come aboard!" Elizabeth shouted to him.

"And a heart. I learned that if you stab the heart, yours must take its place. And you will sail the seas for eternity. The _Dutchman_ must have a captain. Silly thing to die for." Governor Swann chuckled sorrowfully.

"Someone, cast a line!" Elizabeth yelled. Marty grabbed a coiled rope and handed it to her as she snatched it up. "Come back with us! Come on."

"A touch...of destiny." Tia Dalma said to Will.

"Take the line!" Elizabeth begged and threw out the rope to her father. It landed across his small boat but he made no effort, no movement to take it.

"I'm so proud of you, Elizabeth." He gazed at her fondly.

"Father, take the line! Take the line!" Elizabeth screeched desperately. Her father was sailing farther and farther away from her reach. Elizabeth couldn't let him go! She hurried to the edge.

"She must _not_ leave the ship!" Tia Dalma exclaimed. Will raced for his love, with Barbossa, Gibbs, Pintel, Ragetti, and others behind him.

"Father! Please come with us! Please! No! I won't leave you!" Elizabeth screamed wretchedly.

"I'll give your love to your mother, child." Her father promised as he drifted away.

"Please! I won't let you go!" Elizabeth pleaded. Lucy hid her face in Peter's shoulder. She couldn't bear to watch any more of this terrible tragedy. Peter firmly gripped her close to himself.

"Elizabeth." Will spoke calmly as he grabbed her from behind and clasped her in his arms. She sobbed painfully into his chest. "Is there a way?" Will looked to Tia Dalma.

"Him at peace." Tia Dalma shook her head. There was nothing any of them could do. There was nothing Will could do for Elizabeth but hold her to his bosom and let her cry her heart out.


	8. Chapter 8 Up is Down

It was nearing sunset. The _Black Pearl_ didn't have much time left, and still no one had figured out the meaning to the rest of the ritual! It was blazing hot too. "No water." Pintel panted. "Why is all but the rum gone?"

"Rum's gone too." Gibbs whispered, just trying to breathe in the sticky air with the sun in his eyes.

Will glanced at Elizabeth, sitting on the steps with Susan next to her, trying to offer comfort. Will's heart ached for his sweetheart. She hadn't said a word since last night, discovering that her father was dead. Will couldn't imagine what she must be going through. At least he still had a chance to free his own dad.

"Is there no other way?" Peter asked as he sidled up next to Will, with Edmund at his side.

"I..." Will didn't know what to say.

"If we cannot escape these doldrums before night," Tia Dalma answered for him, "I fear we will sail on trackless seas, doomed to roam the reach between seas worlds. Forever."

"Aslan couldn't have sent us here, just to die." Edmund mumbled to himself.

"We must not lose hope, Your Majesty." Reepicheep agreed with him. "If Aslan sent you here, He'll show us a way back." Edmund hung his head, hoping the mouse was right.

Gibbs appeared. "With no water, forever looks to be arriving a mite too soon." Will walked away with very deliberate steps and glared up at Barbossa who was standing at the rudder.

"Why doesn't he do something?" Will huffed.

"He was the one who got us to this infernal place." Peter said snappishly. "Why can't he show us how to get out?"

Across the deck, everyone could hear Ragetti shouting, _"M_ _y eye! Give it back!"_ He begged Jack the monkey, as the little animal hopped on top of Trumpkin's head then pounced away.

"There's no sense to it." Gibbs muttered.

"And the green flash happens at sunset, _not sunrise."_ Will added in confusion.

"' _O_ _ver the edge'._ Ahh, it's driving me over the blooming edge! Sunrises don't set." Gibbs said tensely.

"If this be the end of it, I say we put each other out of our misery, and save the sea the trouble." Trumpkin grumbled.

Jack was sitting at the table, studying the charts, _again._ He'd been going over them for hours, but nothing was clicking. Lucy sat on a small barrel nearby, watching him and praying for help. "Don't give up, Your Majesty." Reepicheep said encouragingly, as he perched himself on her shoulder. She gave a small smile.

Jack sighed, _"'Up is down.'_ Well, that's just maddeningly unhelpful. Why are these things never clear?"

 _Clear as mud, Jackie._ His thoughts answered to him.

"What? Eh?"

 _Stab the heart. Don't stab the heart! _

"Come again?" Jack spoke to himself. His mind was bouncing back and forth, reminding him of the pro's and cons of what he should or shouldn't do about Davy Jones.

 _The Dutchman must have a captain._

"Well, that's even more than less than unhelpful." Jack pouted. He already had a ship, and he wasn't about to give her up to anyone. But, what if he could be captain of two ships? That would be pretty neat!

 _Sail the seas for eternity_

"I love the sea." Jack smiled wistfully.

 _What about port?_

"I prefer rum. Rum's good."

 _Making port, where we can get rum, and salty wenches...once every ten years. Ten years is a long time, mate._

"Even longer given the deficit of rum." Jack sighed.

 _But eternity is longer still. And how will you be spending it? Dead? Or not? The immortal Captain Sparrow._

"Oh, I like that!" Jack's face lit up at the thought. _Come sunset, it won't matter._ Jack thought hard for a moment. _"_ _Not sunset…"_ he breathed as he felt answers erratically pouring into his head. He turned and glanced at Lucy. "Lucy." He called to her. "Come!" He beckoned her quickly.

"What is it?" She asked curiously as she came to the table, with Reepicheep.

"Lucy, when you said that you saw Aslan, you mentioned that He spoke to you, right?" Jack asked excitedly.

"Yes! He did!" Lucy smiled.

"Right. Can you remember what it was that He said, love?"

"He said...He said, that _'up is down'._ I don't understand why, but..." Lucy frowned. Jack quickly grabbed her face and gave her a big kiss on the cheek then sharply turned his attention back to the charts laid out in front of him.

"Not sunset...sundown. And rise. Up!" Jack panted excitedly, and sprang to his feet.

"What?" Lucy stared at him, confused.

"I believe you've hit it." Reepicheep nodded to Jack.

"What's that?!" Jack yelled and raced to the side of the ship. "What is that? I don't know. What do you think?" He spoke loudly so everyone could hear him. Then he ran to the other side of the ship. Elizabeth looked up.

"Where?" Gibbs asked. All he could see was an endless ocean.

"There!" Jack hollered, then raced to the opposite side again. Barbossa heard the commotion and clambered down the stairs to see what was going on. The monkey finally released Ragetti's eye, and it spun on the charts, but Barbossa clammed the eye before Ragetti could grab it.

"What is it?" Elizabeth asked as she followed Jack. Barbossa popped the eye into his mouth, and then stuck it back into Ragetti's socket.

"Are you crazy?" Susan asked Jack who ignored her. "What is he doing?"

"He's mad." Peter shook his head as he watched Jack fritter back and forth like a hyper puppy.

"No..." Edmund disagreed.

"He's rocking the ship." Pintel stated.

"We're rocking the ship!" Gibbs announced.

Barbossa looked down at the chart. "Aye. He's onto it!" He smiled.

"I don't get it." Peter gaped.

"Up is down!" Edmund slapped his arm and joined the others who were helping Jack tilt the ship.

"Of course!" Peter gasped and followed him.

"He's rocking the ship!" Pintel cheered. Ragetti scurried to his side, hauling a large rope.

"We'll tie each other to the mast, upside down so when the boat flips, we'll be the right way up." He said excitedly.

"Time it with the swell!" Barbossa bellowed as he made his way below deck. "Loose the cannons, you lazy bilgerats! Unstow the cargo. Let it shift." He ordered the crew.

"This is crazy." Susan laughed frightfully to Edmund as she followed in tow with everyone else scurrying back and forth.

"It's the only way, Susan." He nodded. Trumpkin stayed beside Lucy to make sure she had a good grip on the railing. Reepicheep placed himself between Ragetti and Pintel's heads.

"Everyone hold on!" He screeched.

The ship loudly creaked and turned dangerously onto her side. The entire crew held on for dear life as the vessel flipped completely over, burying them under the sea. They all held their breaths, waiting for the sun to set. Peter glanced to Lucy, Edmund, and Susan, checking to see that they were still clinging to the ship. So far, they were managing to hold a firm grip. Will lost his grip and started to fall away. Elizabeth gazed at him worriedly. He fell back against one of the mast ropes and grabbed it. The sun descended on the horizon, and a green flash shot up into the sky! Will held to the ropes and tried to bring himself closer to his friends.

All at once, the ship flipped back to right side up! Jack and his band looked up at the water above their heads that was _falling_ at an alarming rate toward them! The waves spat them up above the surface and once again, the _Black Pearl_ was where she should be! Everyone coughed and sputtered out water as the gushes of water ran down the sides of the ship.

" _This was your idea."_ Pintel spat. They were still hanging upside down. Reepicheep hopped down onto the deck and shook his body and feather.

"Well, that was fun." He cocked his head. "See ya later, boys." He waved to Pintel and Ragetti without bothering to help them unravel themselves.

"Blessed sweet westerlies. We're back!" Gibbs yelled to everyone.

"We made it." Susan smiled. "We made it!" Lucy hugged her tightly, as did Edmund and Peter.

"It's the sunrise." Elizabeth said in relief. Sure enough, they were finally safe out of Davy Jones' locker!

Barbossa glared at Jack, slipped out his gun and pointed it at Jack. Elizabeth and Will each countered Barbossa with a pistol of their own, who aimed his opposite one at Will. Then jack aimed at Will in one hand, who pulled out another and aimed it back at Jack. Elizabeth already had one pointed at Jack who pointed his other at her. The crew watched them with baited breath, not sure where this was going. Cotton's parrot squawked "Parley?"

"We need our pistols! Get untied, hurry!" He told his friend. He didn't want to miss out on the fun.

Barbossa began snickering evilly, and the others all laughed then took up arms again. "All right then!" Barbossa barked. "The Brethren Court is a-gathering at Shipwreck Cove. And, Jack, you and I are a-going. They'll be no arguing that point."

"I is arguing the point. If there's pirates a-gathering, I'm pointing my ship the other way." Jack said in a determined voice.

Elizabeth was furious and pointed both guns at him. How dare he think of running away again, after they just saved his life! "The pirates are gathering to fight Beckett, and _you're_ a pirate." She snapped. Jack turned both guns on her and Will did likewise on Jack when he saw him aiming a gun at his girl.

"Fight or not, you're _not_ running, Jack." Will said firmly. "This time."

Barbossa huffed. "If we don't stand together, they'll hunt us down one by one, till there's none left but _you."_ He narrowed his eyes at Jack.

"Quite like the sound of that. Captain Jack sparrow, the last pirate." Jack sighed casually. Peter shoved his way between Barbossa and Will, aiming his guns at Jack. Trumpkin did likewise under him.

"Aye." Barbossa grunted, stepping closer to Jack, as if to fulfill that death wish. Gibbs stepped up with guns too. "And you'll be fighting Jones alone. How does _that_ figure into your plan?"

"I'm still working on that. But I will _not_ be going back to the locker, mate. _Count on that."_ Jack said threateningly.

"You can't just abandon your fellow brothers in arms." Reepicheep hopped onto one of Jack's firearms and pointed his sword just an inch from Jack's nose. "No good soldier or knight of honor would think of committing such cowardice."

" _Pirate,_ mate." Jack shrugged. "And the code. A man gets left behind, stays behind."

"I ain't going back to Narnia, to be served up to the likes of Cutler Beckett!" Trumpkin glared at Jack. "And I ain't returning there till that bloody cur is finished for good."

"I wish you luck then." Jack puffed. By now, all guns were targeted on Jack.

"We should've left you behind!" Peter snarled angrily. He was fed up with Jack and his petty 'reasonings' for not doing his part. "We risked everything to bring you back, you ungrateful leech. If you're going to say _voila,_ and just abandon your good brethren just like that, then you deserve to be thrown back into the locker, with no escape and no rescue this time!"

"Aye." Will nodded, as did Barbossa.

"Bold words, boy." Jack said slowly, his face sour. With one pistol on Elizabeth and the other fixed on Peter, Jack clicked his gun but only water squirted out of it. Everyone pulled their triggers, but all they got were little spats of water. They all frowned in disappointment.

"Wet powder." Gibbs shrugged, chuckling. They walked off to clean out and reload their guns and find what supplies had been lost. Jack begrudgingly followed.

"Wait! We can still use 'em as clubs!" He yelled. "Why is it we always miss all the fun?" Ragetti grinned naughtily and clobbered Pintel's bald head. "Ow!" He growled.

"Sorry. Effective though." Ragetti said proudly.


	9. Chapter 9 Less In It

After cleaning out their wet guns, and checking their stock on board, which wasn't much to go on, Will summoned the men back to the charts as he sat down. "There's fresh waters on this island. We can resupply there, get back to shooting each other later." He teased.

"You lead the shore party. I'll stay with my ship." Jack grinned.

Barbossa glared at him. "I'll not be leaving _my_ ship in _your_ command." He said with gritted teeth. Will shook his head in amusement over the two captains' endless, childish competition over the ship.

"Why don't _you both_ go ashore, and leave the ship in _my_ command?" He suggested. They looked at him as if he had two heads. "Temporarily. Of course." Will chuckled.

"Aye. A wise consolation, my lord." Reepicheep paw bumped Will's shoulder.

"Well, at least I know it'll be in _responsible_ hands." Barbossa said. Jack shrugged innocently.

* * *

Two hours later, though still a long way off, the island came into view. Barbossa gazed at it through his telescope to see it better in detail. Satisfied, he held it away from himself then glanced at Jack. Jack had managed to clumsily extend his looking glass, with scraps of metal. He was happy that his telescope was longer than the old reprobate's. The said reprobate rolled his eyes.

"There it is. The _Cracked Heart."_ Will said, pointing out to the island.

"Why do they call it the _Cracked Heart?"_ Lucy asked him.

"Because, it is more like two islands in one." Will said.

"You see, the first half is a tropical land, with a beach, palm trees, and a humid climate." Elizabeth explained.

"Aye, and on the other side be forests, and mountains, with a temperate atmosphere." Gibbs said.

" _Narnia."_ Tia Dalma said.

"Narnia?" Peter echoed.

"This island is part of the Caribbean, our domain, and the rest of it is part of your kingdom." Will said.

"Do you think we may go along?" Lucy asked eagerly.

"Please, Peter." Susan begged. They were ready to do some exploring of land, which they had missed very much.

"I'm not too sure if Barbossa will agree to that." Peter said hesitantly.

" _Bother Barbossa!"_ Edmund huffed. "He may be captain, but _we_ are monarchs." He grinned smugly. "What's he gonna do about it?"

"You are right." Peter agreed greedily.

 _I like that kid,_ Jack thought with admiration as he watched Edmund find his gear. He noticed a shiny flash of _silver_ being packed into the satchel, and his eyes popped. _"What was that?"_ He asked himself intrigued. If he could just get close enough to Edmund, maybe he could steal it!

"Ed, do you really think bringing your torch is necessary?" Susan laughed.

"You never know." Edmund shrugged. "This torch goes where I go." Just then, Barbossa's monkey Jack sailed through the air and grabbed the flashlight, running away with it. "Hey! Give that back! It's mine!" Edmund hollered. Peter, Lucy, Susan, and the rest of the onlookers laughed heartily as they watched Edmund chase the naughty little miscreant all over the ship. Jack, however, snuck away planning to take the flashlight and keep it for himself.

"Time for a little fun." Reepicheep smirked and blocked the monkey on the railing, with his sword drawn. "Ha!" He growled in delight. Jack the monkey slid to a halt. "Hand it over, you miserable, thievin', mollycoddled sneak thief!" The monkey blinked nervously, unsure of what to do.

" _Oui, you!"_ Barbossa bellowed at the mouse. "Don't you be a-pointin' no sword at me precious lil' boy!"

"Eh?" Reepicheep frowned in utter disbelief at what he'd just heard.

The monkey quickly hopped onto Barbossa's shoulder as if he was saying, _"Daddy, save me!"_

"There now. No one's gonna hurt ye, sonny." Barbossa crooned to his pet. Peter, Susan, and Edmund were dumbstruck! Lucy thought it was cute.

" _Now, I've seen everything!"_ Edmund shook his head in embarrassment. Will and Elizabeth watched, half-amused and half-worried as the two hard-heads faced off.

"And you!" Barbossa stooped down growling at Reepicheep. "You don't dare threaten me lil' boy again, ye puny fur-ball!"

"Well, now that you mentioned it," Reepicheep shrugged, putting his sword back into the sheath, "I _do_ notice a family resemblance. Oh, yes. Mangy, loudmouthed, trouble-making blow-fish." Jack gaped with his mouth open at the rodent. He suddenly had a tremendous change of heart regarding his dis-favorable opinion of the tiny knight.

"We should hang out more." Jack stated.

Barbossa's face was crimson. Lucy clutched Peter's arm and leaned into his shoulder. The big man still frightened her sometimes. "Speak that way to me again and I'll be a-turnin' ye into boilin' muskrat stew, ye little pipsqueak!" He snarled down at the mouse.

"Was that supposed to be irony?" Reepicheep asked casually as he hopped away.

Barbossa huffed, clenching his fists, then looked up at his little Jack. "Eh? Whatcha got there, Jackie boy?" He asked in a much lighter tone. The monkey showed him the flashlight. "Ahh. So, ye found some real pirate treasure, eh?" He smirked, tickling the monkey's chin.

"Uhh...uh...that's mine." Edmund said as he walked up to him. "And I'll be thanking you to return it safely please." Edmund said, holding out his hand.

"I don't take orders from you, boy." Barbossa narrowed his eyes.

" _King. Remember?"_ Edmund retorted. Will and Elizabeth snickered. "Now, it you please."

"Go on, Jackie. Give the skinny shrimp back his prize. Daddy's sorry ye have to give up yur present. Go on, let him have it." Barbossa crossed his arms stubbornly. The monkey flipped the switch on, which shone the bright light right in his eyes. He screeched and flailed wildly, which sent the flashlight heading overboard.

"Oh no, no, no, no, no, no, no!" Edmund wailed frantically as he dove for it. But a pair of boots stood on the ship's railing and caught the electronic device before it fell into the ocean. Edmund glared as Jack grinned smugly and held it high out of Edmund's reach. "Hand it over, Sparrow." Edmund demanded.

" _Captain_ Sparrow to you, ye clumsy waif." Jack teased mercilessly.

"Shoot him, Ed!" Peter yelled out.

"I _would,_ if I had a decent pistol." Edmund grumbled. Ragetti and Reepicheep quickly scurried over and handed Edmund his now dried and cleaned out firearm. "Now, I'm only gonna say it one more time, hand it over, Jack." Edmund said firmly.

"Just what is this maddeningly fascinating contraption supposed to be anyway?" Jack asked, running his hands over the smooth surface.

"It's a torch." Susan spoke up. "Wired and operated by an electric battery." She explained calmly. The crew had no idea what that meant. Some of them shuddered. Some gasped as if the lady had just sworn in public. Others though confused thought it was fascinating.

"Amazing." Elizabeth commented. With all the chaos they'd been dealing with, she'd hardly noticed the trivial object.

"Come again, Susie?" Jack asked sarcastically.

"It's _Susan!"_ Peter vented dangerously.

"What does it do?" Jack pierced his eyes in concentration, holding the bulb right up into his face, with his finger on the knob.

"Oh, uh, I wouldn't, uhh..." Lucy tried to warn him.

Jack flicked the switch knob on and the flashlight's bulb blinded his face. "Aaaahhh! Whoa!" Jack screeched in frightened bewilderment, throwing the gadget into the air as he flailed, lost his balance and fell backwards overboard down into the ocean water. Everyone laughed. Edmund caught his precious flashlight and made sure everything was intact. He brushed it off as if to flick the dirt from Jack's hands, and breathed on it to make it shiny again.

"Thanks for this!" He waved to Jack from overhead. Jack sputtered and gagged as he reached for the ship's ladder.

* * *

The Pevensies joined the party going ashore. Barbossa insisted that Reepicheep _not_ accompany them, but the hard-headed mouse ignored his whining, and snuck into one of the row boats. Pintel and Ragetti were washed over as their boat catapulted on a big wave. Typical for those two. "Ahh, it feels wonderful to set foot on solid ground again." Susan sighed contentedly.

"Yeah. You get less seasick too." Edmund nodded. Jack had stopped short though everyone else was still arriving or making their way on the beach. He was looking very intently at something.

" _What_ is that?" Susan cringed, curious and frightened.

"Davy Jones' sea monster." Barbossa answered grimly.

" _The Kraken."_ Peter gulped, placing his hand on his sword. Lucy leaned close to Peter for protection. "It's all right, Lu." He said kindly and held her hand. Edmund also gripped his sword.

"What...what is it doing, here?" Susan asked nervously. Nobody answered, but they walked along the dark sand up to the fallen creature that lay there motionless, being nipped at and plucked to pieces from sea gulls.

"Cat-o-nine-tails!" Reepicheep gasped in astonishment. "Unbelievable!"

"Criminy!" Pintel breathed. "You stupid fish!" He growled.

"No. Actually, it's a cephalopod." Ragetti smiled as he clambered up the dead creature's long arms, like a child on a playground. He and Pintel began mentioning all kinds of ridiculous notions about what they could do with the meat.

Jack just stood there forlorn, staring into the giant creature's large, sad, lifeless eyes. Yes, the leviathan had killed him, and hundreds of others. It had been a holy terror on the Seven Seas, just like its owner Davy Jones. But Jack couldn't help feeling disheartened at seeing such a magnificent specimen gone from the world. Yes, the Kraken had been a nightmare of a menace, but it had been a living legend. And now, it was gone forever...the last of its kind...like Jack had said he wanted to be. Did he really want to be the last pirate?

"Is it...dead?" Lucy asked, afraid to speak, thinking it might stir the dreadful creature. Peter and Edmund cautiously poked at it with the tips of their swords, as did Trumpkin and Reepicheep.

"It's dead." Edmund nodded.

"I wonder who killed it." Susan remarked quietly.

"It wasn't Davy Jones of his own accord, by any means." Barbossa said. "He'd never just get rid of his terrifying pet. Beckett has his heart, he's controlling him."

"Well, at least the seas will be a bit safer." Peter pointed out.

"As long as Beckett is running the show, no one out on the ocean is truly safe." Barbossa answered grimly. Tears filled Lucy's eyes. She was frightened by the Kraken's enormous, heart-stopping size. But as she gazed into it's tired eyes, she felt saddened that someone would just toss away a living creature.

"I don't know why, but I rather feel kind of sorry for it." Lucy said unhappily.

"Never stop thinking that way, darling." Jack said encouragingly. "No matter how evil there be." Trumpkin grunted and turned around.

"Aye." Reepicheep said in agreement with Jack. He placed his feather back on his ear.

Peter decided they'd seen enough of the unpleasant scenario, so he and his siblings followed the men into the island for a change of scenery. But Jack and Barbossa lingered. Jack couldn't take his eyes off the terrible beastie. If the almighty Kraken could fall, so could he.

"Still thinking of running, Jack? You think you can outrun the world?" Barbossa asked. "You know, the problem with being the last of anything, by and by there be none left at all."

"Sometimes things come back, mate. We're living proof, you and me." Jack smiled.

Barbossa nodded. "Aye, but that's a gamble of long odds, ain't it? There's never a guarantee of comin' back. Passin' on, that's dead certain." He said seriously.

"Summoning the Brethren Court, then is it?" Jack looked at him questioningly. He still wasn't too pleased about the idea.

"It's our only hope, lad." Barbossa replied.

"That's a sad commentary in and of itself." Jack remarked in a defeated voice.

"The world used to be a bigger place." Barbossa sighed.

Jack shook his head. "No. The world's still the same. There's just...less in it." He sighed, and followed his crew. Barbossa took one last look at the dead creature then went after them.

* * *

They'd been hiking for a tedious hour, when the land changed from the tropical zone, to a welcoming, fresh climate with pine trees, and beautiful hills and rivers. They'd reached the other side, they were back in Narnia! "We're here!" Lucy cheered. Trumpkin mentioned that he'd traveled to these parts a couple times, but it had been years. The Pevensie children didn't recall coming to this island before, though Peter insisted he knew where to go. "You're going the wrong way." Trumpkin told him over and over again.

"You a sure ye know where you're a-goin', boy?" Barbossa asked Peter.

"I know what I'm doing." Peter insisted. Jack helped Lucy climbed over a pad of large, sharp rocks.

"I don't remember this way before." Susan commented.

"That's the problem with girls. You can't carry a map in your heads." Peter teased smugly.

"That's because our heads have something in them!" Lucy snickered. The crew chuckled. Jack rolled his eyes while Barbossa grinned. These children may have been, well, just children. But they were plucky.

"I wish he'd just listen to the DLF in the first place." Susan commented.

"DLF?" Edmund asked.

" _Dear little friend."_ Lucy chuckled. Edmund smiled.

"Oh, that's not at all patronizing, is it?" Trumpkin grunted.

"Never." Reepicheep answered for him. "Queen Lucy is nothing if not gracious."

"As if we could say the same for the rest of the lot." Jack glanced at Peter and Edmund. Susan deliberately stomped on his foot as she passed him. Jack's jaw dropped and he hobbled along, rubbing his sore toes. "Oui, I didn't mean you!" He pleaded.

Soon they'd reached a small creek. Most of the men gathered up all the fresh water they could haul from the spring. "It's almost just like home. Well, our home in Narnia that is." Susan remarked, smiling.

Lucy ventured away from the group, just looking around when she spotted a large black bear on the other side of the gravel beach. "Hello, there!" Lucy greeted merrily. At first, most of the men thought she was being foolish.

"Narnia, mates. Talking animals seem to be a thing here." Jack tried to explain to the confused crew.

"It's all right. We're friends." Lucy said cheerily when the bear stood on his hind legs.

Trumpkin sensed trouble. "Don't move, Your Majesty!" He yelled urgently. Lucy looked back at him uncertainly. The bear snarled viciously.

"Lucy! Look out!" Jack called, wildly waving his arms. The bear charged right toward the little girl, and Lucy took off running. The men in the crew were shaken, and some of them so petrified they'd be turned into bear dinner that they could barely move.

"Bear!" Ragetti cried and bumped into Pintel as they both tried to run away but bopped each other instead.

"Stay away from her!" Susan hollered sharply at the enormous mammal, drawing out her bow and arrow. Peter and Edmund had drawn their swords.

Lucy tripped over her long dress and fell to the ground. She looked up fearfully as the bear towered over her. "Shoot, Susan! Shoot!" Edmund cried, his heart caught in his throat.

Lucy screamed in fright. Then a loud gun shot out and the bear collapsed onto its side. Lucy looked up, breathing heavily. Everyone turned and looked. Barbossa was standing there glaring, with smoke whispering out of his pistol. He'd saved her life! The larger than life beastly reprobate with nasty manners and a frightful temper had just saved Lucy!

"Why wouldn't he stop?" Susan asked unhappily.

"I suspect he was hungry." Trumpkin mumbled as they all approached the wounded animal.

Peter hurried to Lucy's side, and pulled her to her feet, and held her closely to himself. He could feel her shaking under his grip. Jack came to her side."Thanks." She said sadly to Barbossa. He merely looked at her with a small nod.

"He was wild." Edmund said in dismay. Trumpkin and Barbossa tapped the bear. He was still breathing. Reepicheep was silent, but he gazed forlornly at the huge beast.

"I don't think he could talk at all." Peter added.

"But _why?_ " Lucy asked with tears.

"You get treated like a dumb animal long enough, that's what you become." Trumpkin explained, kneeling down beside the bear. "You may find Narnia a more savage place than you remember." Lucy hid her face in Peter's chest while the dwarf finished the job with his knife.

"I think we've seen enough." Susan whispered to Peter.

"Susan is right." Peter agreed.

"Aye. We best be off this land before last light." One of the crew men suggested.

"Back to the boats, lads." Barbossa ordered.

"Back to the boats, lads!" Jack echoed him. Barbossa curled his lip and shook his head.

* * *

Finding and picking up some fresh fruit along the way, they only had a few miles left to go before they passed the Narnian border and set foot back onto the tropical land. "Halt! Everybody halt!" Jack barked.

"What are ye doin'?" Barbossa huffed.

"Shut it, you old buzzard. I heard something!" Jack stood still with his arms spread out cautiously.

"Yeah. Footsteps." Trumpkin grumbled in irritation. "There's an army of them behind you, Jelly Legs."

" _No! I really heard something."_ Jack argued. Reepicheep twitched his nose back and forth, and his ears perked up.

"He's right. Everyone quiet." Reepicheep said, pulling out his sword. They all remained silent, and sure enough, they heard some odd noises. It sounded like _animals, large_ animals! Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy all huddled standing at each other's backs, with Peter holding Lucy's hand, and Susan drawing her bow.

A shrill wolf's howl pierced the air. "Wolves?!" Ragetti panicked.

"Run!" Pintel screamed.

"Stay where ye are, ye idiots!" Barbossa snapped. Suddenly, the _Black Pearl_ party found themselves surrounded, by... _wolves, fauns, minotaurs, centaurs, griffins, leopards,_ and _bears!_ And a scraggly, very angry looking dwarf that looked years older and uglier than Trumpkin.

"Narnians!" Edmund stated.

" _Too-a-loo!"_ Cotton's parrot squawked, and fled through the air.

"What the..." Tae Huang bit his lip. "What do they want with us?!"

"Don't eat us!" Ragetti wailed.

"My brothers, please!" Reepicheep shouted, greeting the creatures and waving his paws.

"Reepicheep?!" A badger answered him.

"Trufflehunter, my good friend." Reepicheep smiled.

"I didn't expect to see _you_ again...Nikabrick." Trumpkin said with disgust.

"I thought they got rid of you." Nikabrick the other dwarf snarled. "Pirates! _Pirates!_ Hang them!" The mob shouted in agreement and closed in on the pirates.

"Ahh, this one could come in handy." Nikabrick leered up at Jack who held his hands up in the air. "We could chop off his hair and sell them locks at a handsome price."

"No, no, no. Sorry, boys. I ain't a givin' up these luscious locks. They be way too valuable." Jack pleaded.

"Then we'll stick your head on the lamppost and use your eyes for a necklace." A leopard bard his teeth. Jack gulped hard with beady eyes as wide as saucers.

"I'm deeply flattered, fellas, but perhaps we can find a less brutal way of handling this?" He grinned feebly. "Parley?"

"Take them! Especially the stupid one here." One of the bears roared, eyeing Jack.

"No! Stop!" Lucy cried. "Please! Please don't hurt them!"

"We mean no harm!" Peter shouted, holding up his sword. "Release us, and we'll discuss this peacefully."

"There is no peace." A faun said dejectedly.

"It's them!" Trufflehunter the badger announced. "It is he, High King Peter!"

"You are quite right, my friend." Reepicheep breathed in relief. "If the rest of you would keep your mouths shut!" He scolded the other Narnians.

"Queen Susan?" A female wolf cocked her head.

"Yes." Susan nodded quickly.

"Your Majesty." The wolf bowed respectfully.

"These are the high kings and queens of Narnia." Reepicheep explained.

"Then let them come forward. This is the reason we have gathered." A very tall centaur said calmly in his deep voice. Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy slowly stepped away from their defense stance and face the creature. However, the rest of the Narnians kept their eyes and weapons trained on the pirates. A faun started to play with Jack's beads on his braid.

"No, no." Jack shook his index finger at him. "Mine!"

"Your Majesties, you must forgive our indiscretion, but we have been in hiding for fear of our lives much too long." The centaur bowed his head.

"Is there some place safe where we can talk?" Peter asked him.

"There is, my lord. Follow. Oh, what shall we do with _them?"_ He glared at the pirates.

"Bring them along. But bind them." Edmund said with a smirk. Peter smiled widely at him.

* * *

The Narnians led them to a lush thicket deep in the forest. Several of them were relieved and overjoyed to see their monarchs return while other were bitterly ready to overthrow them. The pirates were tied up with ropes to trees so all they could do was listen and wonder what their fate would be. Nikabrick was the most vocal on the subject or revenge. "All this proves is that they abandoned us!" Nikabrick snarled.

"We didn't abandon anybody." Peter said firmly.

"Yeah? Everything went wrong after you left!" One of the centaurs hollered bitterly. "The **East India Trading Company** invaded, and took everything from us!"

"Our homes!" A female faun cried. "And our sons!"

"Our lands! Our freedom!" A wolf growled.

"You would hold us accountable for the crimes of intruders?" Edmund spoke out.

"Accountable...and punishable!" Nikabrick seethed.

"I wonder how the Brethren Court will solve this?" Jack teased Barbossa, who glowered at him.

"Ha!" Reepicheep drew his sword and crept toward Nikabrick. "That is rich coming from _you,_ dwarf! Or have you forgotten, that it was _your_ people that fought alongside the White Witch?"

"The White Witch?" Jack's eyes popped out.

"Who-who's she?" Ragetti shuddered.

"Jadis. Don't tell me ye forgotten the tales of how these scamps came to rule over Narnia." Barbossa said dryly.

She turned people into stone!" Pintel added. "I heard!"

"And I would gladly do it again, if it would rid us of these barbarians." Nikabrick glowered at the Pevensies.

"You use that word about them again and I will feed you to the gulls." Trumpkin spoke up angrily, pointing his knife directly into his opponent's throat, so that a tiny trickle of blood seeped out.

"Then it's a good thing that it's not in your power to bring her back!" Edmund told Nikabrick. He shuddered as he remembered the evil, cold-hearted woman who'd deceived him and used him to betray his siblings.

"Or are you suggesting that we ask these children to go against Aslan now?" The badger huffed at the livid dwarf.

"NOO! Noo! Never!" The crowd shouted.

"Fickle bunch, aren't they, mate?" Jack shrugged.

"They should just cross a dividing line and let us go." Barbossa muttered.

"Some of you may have forgotten, but we badgers remember well...that Narnia was never right, _except_ when a Son of Adam was king." Trufflehunter said.

"They work with pirates, you imbecile!" Nikabrick yelled. "Why would we want them as our kings?!"

"Because we can help you!" Lucy blurted out. "That's why we came back, to fight for what's ours, what belongs to all of us."

"It's a trick!" One of the spectators jeered.

"Let's at least hear them out!" Another interjected.

"Beyond these woods, this island, we are kings and queens." Edmund said calmly. "The Narnian kingdom is rightfully yours!"

"Help us claim it, and we can bring peace between us." Susan added quietly. Jack smiled warmly. Maybe he'd been wrong about her. Maybe there was a good reason she was called _the Gentle._

"It is true." One of the minotaurs grabbed everyone's attention, the one who had led them here. "The time is ripe. I watch the skies...for it is mine to watch, as it is yours to remember, badger. _Tarva, the lord of victory,_ and _Alambil, the lady of peace_ have come together in the high heavens. And now here, Sons of Adam and Daughters of Eve have come forth...to offer us back our freedom." Peter smiled in tremendous relief, that _someone,_ one of their people finally believed them and was giving them a chance!

"Is it possible?" A red squirrel up in the trees asked excitedly. "Do you really think there could be peace? Do you? I mean...I mean, really?"

"Now why can't my little Jackie do that?" Barbossa whispered to himself, thinking of his pet monkey. The squirrel played with Jack's bandanna and his curls.

"Go away. Shoo." Jack mumbled, but the red squirrel cocked his head.

"You are no doubt the silliest pirate I've ever seen." He teased.

"Ahh, but now you've seen me." Jack grinned.

" _Stop doing that."_ Barbossa groaned, fed up with this mess.

"Two days ago, _I_ didn't believe in the existence of such a real place of purgatory." Peter said solemnly, thinking of Davy Jones' locker. "Or half-man half sea-serpents...or a cut out heart that still beats. Yet, despite my refusal to want to see the truth, it is very real!"

"And here you all are, in strengths and numbers that the enemy could never have imagined." Lucy said confidently.

"Whether you hate us or not, here we are, _all of us!_ Thrust _together_ because of what our enemy has done to our kingdom." Peter said, feeling his courage renewed. "And together, we'll have a chance to take back what is ours!"

"If you will lead us, my sons and I offer you our swords." The Minotaur came forward, unsheathing his sword, and the crowd followed his example.

"And we offer you our lives, unreservedly." Reepicheep humbly bowed.

"Cutler Beckett's army of scumbags won't be far behind us, lads." Barbossa said to Peter and Edmund.

"If we are to be ready for them, we need to hurry and see that the meeting of the Brethren Court takes place, as soon as possible." Edmund replied.

* * *

The Narnians finally released them and peacefully let them go back the way they came. Edmund used his flashlight in the dark areas of the island, so they could see better. Ragetti and Pintel wanted to play with it, but Edmund refused to let anyone touch it." It's high noon, boys. We best hurry." Barbossa reminded them. They'd lost precious time from the delay. Relief washed over them when they reentered the humid air and palm trees.

They'd nearly reached the beach, when they stumbled across a disturbing sight! A dead body of a Chinese man lay in a small pool of water, his skin a sickly greenish white. Lucy closed her eyes, unable to look. Barbossa stooped down and dipped his finger into the water, tasted it, then instantly spat it out in disgust. "Poisoned. Fouled by the body." He grunted.

"Hey, I know him! He was in Singapore!" One of the crew members exclaimed.

" _Singapore!"_ Cotton's parrot squawked after he returned to his owner's shoulder.

"Captain!" Ragetti yelled from the beach. "Hoy! We've got company!" On the horizon, a ship with Chinese sails was approaching the _Black Pearl._ All of Tae Huang's men aimed their guns at Jack's head. He looked at them incredulously.

"He's the captain." He grinned sheepishly and pointed to Barbossa, who rolled his eyes in irritation. This could mean only one thing: Lord Sao Feng had arrived!


	10. Chapter 10 Negotiations-NOT!

"Who is it?" Susan asked nervously as they rowed as quickly as they could back to the _Pearl._

"Sao Feng, one of the nine pirate lords." Barbossa answered.

"I take it he is one of the more disagreeable lords who throws his two shillings in only if he ends up the highest bidder." Edmund remarked.

"You just summed up the _entire_ Brethren Court, Edmund." Jack chuckled. "Every pirate lord is out only for the benefit of himself and his crew."

"Aye. Like a pack of vultures." Reepicheep said, from standing on top of Barbossa's hat.

"Eh, more like juvenile scamps at the sight of a disposed smoking pipe." Jack corrected him.

"This ought to be good." Peter rolled his eyes.

* * *

They heard men shouting loudly as they drew in closer. As they climbed up to deck, Elizabeth and several members of the crew were being held back by their arms. Edmund's face fell in dismay when he saw Elizabeth in her predicament. "Get your hands off her!" He ordered, drawing his sword. The men laughed at him and two of them grabbed him from behind.

"Edmund!" Lucy cried.

"Release him!" Susan demanded, aiming her bow at her brother's assailants. Sao Feng came up from behind and lowered her bow.

"I think you will find that rather futile, miss." He told her. Susan glared at him. Barbossa finally appeared, with Jack shyly huddling behind him for safety. Peter got in Barbossa's face.

" _You_ said he was one of the pirate lords!" Peter hollered. Once again, fraternizing with these pirates had gotten them into another mess. Barbossa merely turned up his nose, squinting down at Peter then addressed their distinguished visitor.

"Sao Feng? You showin' up here is truly a remarkable coincidence." Barbossa greeted nonchalantly.

"Tell your men to unhand Prince Edmund, or suffer the consequences!" Peter demanded to Sao Feng.

" _Prince?"_ Sao Feng scorned.

"They be the high kings and queens of Narnia itself." Barbossa explained. "They have no bearings on the gathering of the Brethren Court. Ye can let the whelp go." Edmund scowled at being called a whelp, _again._ Sao Feng nodded to his men. Edmund shook his head at them in annoyance as he stepped protectively between his sisters. Reepicheep still stood on top of Barbossa's hat.

"You harm these kings and queens, my lord, and it is _Aslan_ you will be answering to!" Reepicheep threatened to Sao Feng.

"So, you have stooped down to allying with rodents now, eh, Barbossa?" He teased. Barbossa flicked the mouse off.

"He don't speak for me. He squeaks so loud it almost sounds like talking." Barbossa said.

"I do _not_ squeak! You big..." Reepicheep squealed.

Sao Feng leered at Jack. "Jack Sparrow," he whispered. Jack smiled sheepishly and crept out from under Barbossa."You paid me great insult once."

"That doesn't sound like me." Jack grinned. Sao Feng slapped him hard, right in the face. Jack groaned and rubbed his throbbing nose. "Shall we just call it square, then?"

Will barged into the crowd. His first thought was to protect Elizabeth. "Release her." He demanded. "She's not part of the bargain."

"And what bargain be that?" Barbossa asked.

"You heard Captain Turner! Release her." Sao Feng ordered his men. Edmund sighed in relief.

" _Captain_ Turner?" Jack cringed. Everyone else gaped.

"Aye. The perfidious rotter led a mutiny against us!" Gibbs growled.

"Will?" Peter's jaw dropped.

"I need the _Pearl_ to free my father. That's the only reason I came on this voyage." Will said firmly.

"Why didn't you tell me you were planning this?" Elizabeth asked him, shocked.

"It was my burden to bear." Will sighed.

" _He_ needs the _Pearl. Captain Turner_ needs the _Pearl._ And _you_ felt guilty." Jack eyed Elizabeth. Then he glanced at the crew. "You and your Brethren Court. Did no one come to save me just because they missed me?" Gibbs and Tia Dalma rolled their eyes at each other. Marty, Pintel, Ragetti, Cotton, even Barbossa's monkey raised their hands, as did Lucy. "I'm standing over there with them!" Jack announced smugly. But...Sao Feng clenched him by the scruff of the neck.

"I'm sorry, Jack. But there is an old friend who wants to see you first." He smirked.

"I'm not certain I can survive any more visits from old friends." Jack gulped.

"Here is your chance to find out." Off in the distance, Beckett's ship the _Endeavor_ was seen approaching. Soon as they neared beside the _Pearl,_ Beckett's men took over the ship and Jack was taken to chat with the evil lord himself.

* * *

The guards outside Beckett's office shoved Jack inside. He rolled his shoulders from their rough hands and glanced around uncomfortably. "Curious. Your friends appear to be quite desperate, Jack." Beckett said in his infamous slithering voice."Perhaps they no longer believe that a gathering of squabbling pirates can defeat the _Flying Dutchman._ And so despair leads to betrayal.

Jack said nothing. He half-listened and started snooping through the canisters and boxes. "But you and I are no strangers to betrayal, are we?" Jack eyed the "P" pirate branding on his wrist. "It's not here, Jack."

"What? What isn't here?" Jack asked quickly.

"The heart of Davy Jones. It's safely aboard the _Dutchman,_ and so unavailable for use as leverage to satisfy your debt to the good captain."

"By _my_ reckoning, that account has been settled." Jack corrected him.

"By your _death?_ And here you are." Beckett remarked skeptically.

"Close your eyes and pretend it's all a bad dream. That's how I get by." Jack teased, grimacing at Beckett's portrait, but imitating the stance to see is it did him justice.

"And if Davy Jones were to learn of your survival?"

* * *

On board the _Pearl,_ Beckett's soldiers were armed and guarding at every station so that no one could slip an escape from the ship. Barbossa was very irritated. Mercer, Beckett's right hand man, was in charge. Will berated Sao Feng for double-crossing him in taking ownership of the _Pearl._

* * *

"Perhaps you'll consider an alternative arrangement. One that requires absolutely nothing from you but information." Beckett offered Jack some cheri.

"Regarding the Brethren Court, no doubt." Jack said. "In exchange for fair compensation? Square my debt with Jones," Jack gulped down the alcohol, then took another drink, "ack! _Guarantee my freedom?"_ He hicupped, momentarily losing his voice as the whiskey went down his throat the wrong way.

Beckett shook his head impatiently. "You were saying, Jack?"

Jack coughed to regain his volume. "I was saying...ack! Square my debt with Jones-ack! Guarantee my freedom?"

"Of course. It's just good business." Beckett said casually.

"Were I in a divulgatory mood, what then might I divulge?" Jack asked curiously, though he figured he already knew.

" _Everything."_ Beckett whispered. "Where are they meeting? Who are the pirate lords? What is the purpose of the nine pieces of eight?"

* * *

The _Black Pearl_ sailors along with Peter and Edmund were shackled. Susan and Lucy were not bound, but were ordered to stand at attention with Mercer's men guarding them. Peter was furious and glowered at everyone. Why had he ever agreed to do this? Mercer then claimed possession of the _Pearl,_ much to Sao Feng's displeasure _._ Mercer simply explained that Beckett would not give up the only ship on the ocean that could outrun the _Dutchman._ He smirked and walked away, leaving Sao Feng there stewing, mentally considering whose throat on deck he was going to slit."Shame they're not bound to honor the code of the Brethren, isn't it?" Barbossa gloated at Sao Feng. "Because honor's a hard thing to come by nowadays."

"There is no honor to remaining with the losing side. Leaving it for the winning side, that's just good business." Sao Feng growled.

"The _losing_ side, you say?" Barbossa arched his eyebrows.

"They have the _Dutchman._ And now the _Pearl!_ What do the Brethren have?

"We have _Aslan_ on our side." Lucy told him. Sao Feng pffted with his lips.

"Really, little one? I do not see Him." He scoffed.

"We have _Calypso!"_ Barbossa boasted. _That_ got his attention. Sao Feng blinked in disbelief.

"Calypso?" Peter frowned.

" _Can't be!"_ Susan whispered.

"The sea goddess." Edmund explained to Peter. "But I can't imagine _how_ we've got her, or _who_ she is!"

Sao Feng looked skeptically at Elizabeth. "Calypso?" He laughed. "And old legend."

"No." Barbossa smirked. "The goddess herself, bound in human form. Imagine, all the power of the seas brought to bear against our enemy." Tia Dalma looked at Will and Elizabeth, as if she realized what they were contemplating. They appeared ignorant of her identity. "I intend to release her, but for that I need the Brethren Court. _All_ the court." Barbossa said firmly to Sao Feng.

* * *

Jack was still spinning his own web to tangle Beckett up in, and so far the wicked ambassador was more than gladly taking the bait, not realizing he was being very cleverly manipulated. "You can keep Barbossa. The belligerent homunculus and his friend with the wooden eye, both. _And Turner,_ especially Turner." Jack rolled his eyes. "The rest go with me aboard the _Pearl._ And I'll lead you to Shipwreck Cove, where I will hand you the pirates and you will _not_ hand me to Jones. Bloody fair deal, don't you think?"

"And what becomes of Miss Swann?" Beckett asked off hand. Jack's face hardened instantly and he stopped his happy-go-lucky facade. This was last question was bad news, and Jack couldn't imagine what Beckett would want Elizabeth for!

" _What interest is she to you?"_ Jack asked slyly, his voice thick with suspicion. Beckett only grinned deviously.

"And one more thing." Beckett said.

"Mmm?"

"How do you suggest we disperse of the Pevensie children, huh, Jack?"

Jack's shoulders went rigid. The Pevensies? What the heck? What on earth could Beckett possibly find in them that would be useful to him? Jack said firmly, "They do _not_ enter into this. They're just kids, wonder-lust children, seeking adventure. Know nothing of this whole rigmarole doing with the Brethren Court and whatnot. Way over their heads, mate. After all, they're just kids. I lead you to Shipwreck Cove, deliver the pirates, and me and my crew sail away on the _Pearl,_ and return the young waifs to their home to live happily ever after. Savvy?"

* * *

"What are you proposing, Captain?" Sao Feng huffed at Barbossa.

"What be acceptin', cap'n?"

"The girl." Sao Feng gazed at Elizabeth.

"What?" Elizabeth asked.

"No!" Edmund protested. "You have no right."

"I have every right. I'm a pirate lord!" Sao Feng snarled.

"Jack. I've just recalled, I've got this wonderful compass, which points to whatever I want. So for what do I need you?" Beckett asked.

"Elizabeth is not part of _any_ bargain!" Will declared protectively.

"That's right!" Edmund added. Outside of his sisters, he'd never met or known a woman like Elizabeth, save for in the movies! She was intelligent, she was beautiful, she wasn't afraid to jump in and do what had to be done. She held true to her scruples, yet lived for adventure almost as dangerously as Jack Sparrow did. She walked and carried herself verbally with a strong sense of honor and decency despite her carefree lifestyle out at sea. Edmund had never met a girl like her, and he found himself quite attracted to the rebellious but faithful side of Elizabeth.

"Out of the question." Barbossa waved them off.

"It was not a question." Sao Feng said.

* * *

"Points to the thing you want most." Jack explained to his adversary. "And that is not the Brethren Court, is it?

"Then what is, Jack?"

" _Me!_ Dead." He muttered.

* * *

"Done!" Elizabeth announced.

" _What? Not done!"_ Will gaped in horror.

"You got us into this! If it frees us, then done!" Elizabeth argued.

* * *

"D-." Beckett cursed. "Although, if I kill you, then I can use the compass to find Shipwreck Cove is it, on my own. Cut out the middle man as it were." He stepped toward Jack with a pistol aimed at him.

* * *

"Elizabeth. They're pirates!" Edmund told her.

"I have had more than enough experience dealing with pirates!" Elizabeth told him defiantly.

"Then we have an accord?" Barbossa smirked. Sao Feng was delighted.

* * *

"With me killed, you'd arrive at the cove, to find it's a stronghold...nigh impregnable...able to withstand blockade for years. And then you'd be wishing, 'oh, if only there was someone I had _not_ killed inside to ensure that the pirates come outside." Jack taunted.

"And you can accomplish all this, can you?" Beckett replied cynically.

"You may kill me, but you may never insult me! Who am I?"

Beckett gaped, utterly lost.

"I'm Captain Jack Sparrow." A blast shook the ship, making it rumble.

Jack quickly shook his hand. "Done!" He smiled and ran to the doors but two soldiers appeared and he swung the doors in their direction and ran the other way outside. The _Pearl_ was firing on the _Endeavor,_ the crews were battling it out. Beckett followed Jack out onto the deck. He watched as Jack put the loop of one of the mast ropes around a cannon hole. Then he threw the other end over the beam. Beckett noticed one of his porcelain soldier figures standing inside the cannon's hole. Jack blew on the light stick for the cannon.

"You're mad." Beckett stated, bewildered.

"Thank goodness for that, because if I wasn't, this would probably never work." Jack said nonchalantly, and lit the cannon which was geared to aim right where Beckett was standing! He moved out of the way just in time. The rope lurched up in the air, and Jack was tossed onto the _Pearl,_ hollering. The crew watched him fly through the air and rushed up on deck, looking down into the water for any sign of Jack.

Then Barbossa glanced upwards and gaped in surprise. Honestly, he shouldn't have been surprised at all. "And that was without a single drop of rum!" Jack boasted proudly, as he stood perched up near the _Pearl's_ lanterns. Barbossa shook his head, very irritated.

"Jack! You're safe!" Lucy cheered. Edmund sighed with relief. Peter just watched.

Jack hopped down and strode right toward Will. Pintel and Ragetti each clapped his shoulders. "Send this pestilent, traitorous, cow-hearted, yeasty codpiece to the brig." Jack snarled, glaring darkly at Will.

"But..." Lucy tried to protest.

"Captain's orders, luv." Jack interrupted her and stomped away.

"He's got to be the rudest, most deceitful pirate I've ever met." Susan scowled.

"Double-crosser." Peter huffed.

"Well, Will _did_ try to take possession of Jack's ship." Edmund pointed out. Susan and Peter gave him pointed looks. "Just pointing it out."

"Poor Will." Lucy hung her head.

"Ahh, do not lose heart, Your Majesty." Reepicheep said, perched on her shoulder. "I do not believe that Will Turner is truly in bad blood with the captain, but that he locked him up to relieve a gnawing sense of frustration."

* * *

"Which ship do we follow?" Beckett's captain asked.

"Signal the _Dutchman_ to track down Sao Feng." Beckett commanded. "We follow the _Pearl._ How soon can we have the ship ready to pursue?" The captain heard a creaking noise behind him and looked to see one of their beams fall to the deck. Beckett didn't even look back.

"Do you think he plans it all out, or just makes it up as he goes along?" The captain gaped.


	11. Chapter 11 Think Like Jack

Elizabeth was with Sao Feng on _The Empress._ Will was outside in the dark, tying the dead bodies to barrels and dropping them overboard. He was upset and needed to work with his hands to clear his head. His eyes drifted down to his father's knife. He could use this knife to stab the heart, and free his father Bootstrap Bill. But...that would mean being separated from Elizabeth for several lifetimes. But he'd promised his father he'd come back for him! But Elizabeth was the light and love of his life. He couldn't just abandon her.

He was startled when he thought he heard something. He halted his task, raised his knife in a defensive manner and glanced around cautiously. He had an uneasy feeling that he was being watched.

"Ye escaped the brig even quicker than _I_ expected." Jack spoke up, lounging on one of the mast poles. Will held his knife out to him. "William, do you notice anything?" Jack asked as he got to his feet. Will's eyes darted back and forth worriedly, but he didn't see the point. "Rather...do you see something that is _not_ there to be noticed?"

"You haven't raised an alarm." Will realized with relief and suspicion.

"Odd, isn't it?" Jack asked.

"Don't speak to him, Will." Peter huffed as he appeared with a stormy countenance.

"Isn't it about passed your bedtime, lad?" Jack taunted him. Peter's expression became more sour, if that was even possible.

"He's just trying to distract you...till they come for you." Peter said to Will. Jack rolled his eyes.

"As I said, odd, isn't it?" He told Will. "But not as odd as this. Come up with this all by your lonesome, did you?"

"I said to myself, _'think like Jack'."_ Will said proudly. Peter squinted at him.

"And _why_ would you want to do that?" He shook his head.

"And this is what you've arrived at?" Jack asked, taken aback. "Lead Beckett to Shipwreck Cove so as to gain his trust...accomplish your own ends?"

"What?" Peter's jaw dropped.

"It's like you don't know me at all, mate." Jack teased. Will dropped the knife to his side.

"Will?" Peter prodded. Will pursed his lips.

"And how does your dearly beloved feel about this plan?" Jack added. Will remained silent and looked away. "Ah. You've not seen fit to trust her with it." Peter bit his lip.

"I'm losing her, Jack." Will said defeatedly. "Every step I make for my father, is a step away from Elizabeth." For once, Peter listened and kept his mouth shut.

"Mate, if ye choose to lock your heart away, you'll lose it for certain." Jack told him.

"Will, Elizabeth is your true love." Peter spoke up. "How can you trust each other, if you don't share something so tumultuous with her?"

"It's my burden to bear, Peter." Will replied without facing him. "I've learned the hard way."

"If I might lend a machete to your intellectual thickets…" Jack spoke up, drawing their attention. "Avoid the choice altogether. Change the facts. Let _someone else_ dispatch Jones." Jack's eyes lit up with glee as the words left his mouth.

"Who?" Will frowned, perplexed. Jack did not answer. Will looked at him incredulously. "You?" Jack smiled widely.

"You're mad." Peter gaped. "It would be suicide to be captain of the _Dutchman!"_

"Oh, no." Jack smirked. "That's where you're wrong, Your Majesty. It would be suicide to _refuse_ the captain of the _Dutchman._ It is the beautiful opposite of suicide to _be_ captain of the _Dutchman."_

"It's a devil's bargain." Peter protested.

"Death has a curious way of reshuffling one's priorities." Jack said as he stepped next to Will. "I slip aboard the _Dutchman,_ steal the heart, stab the still beating thing, your father goes free from his debt, you're free to be with your charming murderess."

Will was not impressed. "And you're willing to cut out your heart, and bind yourself to the _Dutchman...forever?"_ He asked skeptically. There was something a tad suspicious about Jack's too easy offer.

"No, mate. I'm free forever! Free to sail the seas beyond the edges of the map. Free from death itself." Jack said wistfully, the prospect appealing to him more every minute.

"But you're one of the nine pirate lords." Peter said, beginning to realize the gravity of the situation. True, he did not really trust Jack or even like him. But in order for the seas-including Narnia-to be free of Beckett, they would need Jack at the conclave. "You can't just turn tail now." Jack gave him a pointed look.

Will looked him right in the eyes. "You have to do the job though, Jack." He reminded him. "You have to ferry souls to the next world. Or end up just like Jones."

Jack groaned and started playing with his goatee. "I don't have the face for tentacles." He muttered. "But immortal has to count for something, eh?" He reached into his pocket and handed Will his compass. Will was still not following his logic.

"What's this for?"

"Think like me. It'll come to you." Jack told him. Then he came very close and breathed heavily in Will's face, making him scowl in disgust and then he fell back and landed in the water.

"Jack, you lying cur!" Peter hollered. He'd had enough. He drew his sword and charged at Jack who clenched his wrist, making Peter flinch furiously. "Get your hand off me!" Jack shoved another barrel into the water toward Will.

"My regards to Davy Jones!" Jack saluted to Will who glowered at him. He looked at a very vexed Peter. "You curl your brows any tighter, yur face is gonna puff out." He teased Peter.

"I never should've trusted you." Peter snarled. "All the trouble we've gotten into since we came here is because of _you!"_

"Really?" Jack replied smoothly. "I believe it was a certain someone else, with grisly taste, and a hold over Jones, who saw it fit to pillage your _glorious_ palace at Cair Paravel, and treat your fellow subjects as objects. So ya see? It couldn't have been me. If you remember, I was 'dead', eternally sealed in the locker, mate. And despite how much you don't want to have ears that will hear logic, believe me when I tell you, lad, I will _not_ be goin' back there to that infernal wasteland."

Peter set his jaw. "Soon as we make for land, we're leaving! We'll find another way home."

"Don't trust me, eh?"

"You've never given me reason to." Peter huffed. Jack sighed. Peter could be just as hard-headed and stubborn as Will. He was gonna have to take different measures with this one.

"I think we need to talk, Master Peter." Jack said in a more serious tone. "Mind you, I do not share my brilliant schemes with everyone. But I feel I must make an exception of you, for the safety of your brother and sisters."

"This _better_ be good." Peter warned him.

"Just keep an open mind, hearty." Jack grinned.

* * *

"I hate him!" Will growled as he hung on for dear life to the body bobbing in the water as it drifted toward _The Endeavor,_ and back to Beckett.


	12. Chapter 12 Choosing a Side

Aboard the _Empress,_ Lord Sao Feng still believed Elizabeth was the sea goddess Calypso, and treated her as such, but when she refused to give in to his pleasantries, he became very angry. But they were unexpectedly attacked by the _Flying Dutchman!_ Sao Feng, mortally wounded and still thinking she was Calypso, gave Elizabeth his piece of Eight and begged her to attend the conclave in his place as Captain of the _Empress._ Tao Huang was outraged when she told him what had transpired and then their enemies descended upon them.

A sturdy, well-dressed soldier was strolling the deck of the _Empress_ seeing that orders were carried out when he saw the last face he'd expected to find out here on the ocean! "You are _not_ my captain!" Tao Huang snapped at Elizabeth as Mercer's men held both of them back with swords to their throats.

"Elizabeth!" Norrington gaped. Elizabeth's face lit up with shock and relief. She ran to him.

"James? James!" She gasped. He grabbed her in a protective hug.

"Thank God you're alive." James said. "Your father will be overjoyed to know you're safe." He smiled kindly.

"My...my father's dead." Elizabeth said sadly. She couldn't believe that he didn't know!

Norrington frowned in confusion. Why would she say such a thing? "What? No. That can't be true. He returned to England." He said reassuringly. Elizabeth's face hardened.

"Did Lord Beckett tell you that?" She asked angrily. Norrington was at a loss for words. Was it true that he had been wrong all along about serving Beckett? And Elizabeth, Will, and...and _Jack Sparrow_ had been _right?_ And now Elizabeth believed that he'd betrayed her!

" _Who among you do ye name as captain?!"_ Davy Jones demanded, snarling at the frightened men he was taking captive.

"C-Captain. Her!" Tai Huang pointed quickly to Elizabeth. His men all joined in naming her captain. They were not about to offer themselves up at the mercy of the cruel, cursed, slimy pirate captain! Davy Jones squinted skeptically. Norrington was bewildered. Elizabeth only stood there, unfazed.

" _Captain?"_ Davy Jones curled his lip.

"Tow the ship. Put the prisoners in the brig." Norrington said quickly. "The captain shall have my quarters." He offered. Davy Jones rolled his eyes and hobbled away to follow orders.

"Thank you, Sir." Elizabeth told Norrington icily. "But I prefer to remain with my crew." She wouldn't have anything more to do with _anyone_ who served under the bloody cursed name of Lord Cutler Beckett! She turned on her heel to join her men. Norrington gripped her arm.

"Elizabeth!" He pleaded. "I swear, I did _not_ know!"

Elizabeth glared at him. "Didn't know what?" She muttered. "Which side you chose?" Norrington stared at her hurtfully. She shoved his arm away and stepped back, as a prisoner. "Well, now you do." She said firmly.

* * *

Inside the _Flying Dutchman's_ scabby brig, which was overrun with sea moss, crustaceans, algae, and slime, Elizabeth sullenly looked over the place, searching for a possible crew member aboard who might resemble Will. She spoke out his name, "Bootstrap," several times but the hideous sea-fish crew only laughed cruelly at her. Another odd thing she noticed: three fauns, two minotaurs, a centaur, five dwarfs, four wolves, and a small band of mice all crammed together in one of the other cells. Elizabeth gasped. "You're...you're Narnians!" She spoke to them in astonishment. They all perked up their heads at her.

"And who are you?" One of the fauns asked suspiciously.

"I'm Captain Elizabeth Swann." Elizabeth answered.

"Cute. I'll not be thankin' ye for failing to rescue us from this rattrap, _captain!"_ A dwarf snapped.

"I'm friends with the high kings and queens of Narnia." Elizabeth said encouragingly. "I've sailed with them. They are aboard the _Black Pearl!"_

"Pfft!" Another dwarf spat. "Fat chance we be rescued by the high and mighty kings and queens of Narnia."

"No. It's true! They've returned. They've come to help you." Elizabeth argued.

" _Really?_ Well, you just keep living in your pretty fairy tales, missy. Their majesties abandoned us. And no use pretending they won't do the same now. Even if they _were_ back in Narnia."

Elizabeth hung her head. It was no use to talk to them. They were embittered from all they'd made to suffer at the hands of the **East India Trading Company,** thanks to Beckett and his cut-throat knaves. She tried again to find Will's father."Bootstrap?"

"You know my name!" An aged voice replied to her excitedly. She saw a deathly pale, ghostly, barnacled face slowly emerge from the wall of the cell. The sight was disturbing, but Elizabeth tried to remain unshaken.

"Yes. I know your son. Will Turner." She smiled.

"William?!" Bootstrap let out a holler of eerie joy. "He's alive! He made it! And now he sends you to tell me that he's coming to get me." He smiled and hollered again. Elizabeth remained solemn. "He's on his way!"

"Yes, Will is alive." Elizabeth said calmly. "And he wants to help you."

Bootstrap's face of joy immediately fell into one of despair. "He can't help me. He won't come." He said, his voice laced heavily with hopelessness.

"You're his father." Elizabeth smiled encouragingly.

"I know you. He spoke of you. He can't save me. He can't come because of you!"

"Me?"

"You're Elizabeth." Bootstrap smiled unhappily.

"Yes, I'm Elizabeth."

"If Jones be slain, he who slays him must take his place. A captain...forever. The _Dutchman_ must always have a captain. And if he saves me, he loses you." Elizabeth nodded sadly, tears filling her eyes. "He won't pick me. I wouldn't pick me." Bootstrap said in resignation. Elizabeth was pained to see the deep despair in those haunted, bloodshot eyes. Her heart went out to the broken soul before her who was in so many ways a large part of the man she loved. "Tell him not to come." He sat back into the grimy wall. "Tell him he can't come. Tell him it's too late. I'm already a part of the ship...of the crew." Bootstrap began to fade back into the wall.

Elizabeth approached him slowly and touched his knee. Her heart ached for the man she loved and how much he wanted to free this haunted shell of a man he once called his father. Will wasn't about to give up on him, so neither would she. "Bootstrap? Bootstrap?" She asked quietly.

"You know my name!" Bootstrap's eyes lit up.

"Y-yes. I know your son." Elizabeth answered sadly.

"William! He's coming for me! Wait and see. You'll see...he promised." Bootstrap smiled. Elizabeth looked away dejectedly. The Narnians were angry, and old Bootstrap Bill had accepted his hellish fate that he didn't deserve. Well, the rational part of him did. The dementia side was still holding out hope. Elizabeth let the tears flow. What did this oppressive ship do to people?

* * *

Having tied Peter up to the mast outside on deck so that Jack could get his point across, Jack explained everything to him, about his plan to kill Jones himself and how Will would eventually catch on. Peter still didn't like the idea of his friend Will being used as live bait, but after listening and considering all the facts, he found himself begrudgingly agreeing in his mind that it would be best for all concerned.

"So you see? Brave William lets me do the job, old Bootstrap goes free, Will and his beloved live happily ever after, you and your brood of kings and queens can go play in the sand, and I sail the seas forever. Everybody's happy. Savvy?" Jack spoke cheerfully but sarcastically.

"Why would you do that, for all of us?" Peter asked darkly.

"Like I said, mate, death has a way of reshuffling one's priorities." Jack said, walking around with his hands behind his back. "Take you for example. You didn't want to help them save me, did you?"

Peter hung his head. "I...didn't want my brother and sisters to be put in more danger." He mumbled.

"And a noble gesture it is of you. I couldn't help but notice though, you in particular don't seem to believe I know what I'm doing."

"Oh, brother. Can you blame me? You're shifty, Jack. You're worse than the super villains in the movies at the cinema!" Peter exclaimed.

Jack looked at him as if he had two heads. Then he remembered that Peter and his siblings came from another world, one Jack knew nothing about. "Bearing on the trait of ignorance, I will take that as a compliment." He grunted cockily.

"You put the most devious, evil planners to shame." Peter shook his head. "It's unsettling how convincing you can become, especially when we're not sure if we can trust you."

"I'm deeply flattered, mate." Jack smiled. "I can change me colors at will, and nobody will ever know the difference!"

"Till they find themselves facing the mouth of a cannon." Peter said sarcastically. But as Jack peered at him, he noticed the younger man throwing him a devilish smirk.

"Apparently, you and your first mate do not agree on the appropriate strategy of how to rid the waters of Jones and Beckett." _Edmund_ declared as he appeared out of the shadows. Jack jumped back a bit, as he had not heard him coming.

"Hector prefers preservation to legacy." Jack mumbled. "I for one, would prefer to be on me merry way than entrust my fate to the hands of a woman scorned whose fury like hell hath no."

Edmund noticed Peter restrained to the mast. He encircled him, widely smiling smugly. "What are you looking at?" Peter glared.

"What happened to you?" Edmund asked, snickering.

"I'll give you three guesses." Peter huffed, looking away. Edmund glanced at Jack who offered a dramatic bow. Edmund burst out snorting in laughter. "Oh, enough already." Peter shook his head in deep embarrassment. "Now, would you make yourself useful and get me out of this?"

Edmund smugly crossed his arms in refusal. "I rather like to see you fit to be tied. I'm eternally grateful to you, Jack. You don't know how many years I've been _dying_ to do that to him!"

"Ahh, well. You're welcome then." Jack played along. Personally, he was also pretty satisfied for having at least restrained the outspoken young king who'd kept berating him every chance he got. "A fellow's gotta have his mate's back."

"Right." Edmund said in a twisted smile. Peter sighed heavily. Between these two troublemakers, he wasn't getting out of his bonds any time soon. "So, Jack? You have your own idea about how to end this whole mess, do you?"

"Frankly, I do not trust the imprisoned, angered deity of the female kind." Jack said, grimacing.

"I for one will be glad to be rid of her!" Edmund shook his head. "She's weird, and gives me the creeps."

"So, have we reached an accord then?" Jack asked.

"Barbossa has shown kindness and mercy in offering Calypso her freedom." Peter spoke up. "It is possible that she may be on our side if she is released. Besides, holding her to her earthly, human form would only seem to vex her even more. Wouldn't you think?"

"Pete does have a good point, Jack." Edmund agreed.

"And what if she is not merciful to us?" Jack bit his lip.

"Wasn't it the _first_ Brethren Court that bound her?" Edmund asked.

"Aye."

"Then these are not the same lords who captured her when Davy Jones gave her up. They are not responsible for what happened then. But they, _you, you are all_ responsible for what happens _now."_

"Ed does have a good point," Peter smirked at Jack who pouted. If only he had his compass, it would show him the way to go, and then he'd know what to do.

"Stabbing the heart would be faster." He mumbled.

"Then stab the heart." Peter encouraged him. "But as High King of Narnia, I give my contribution that it would be wiser for all concerned to release Calypso from her human bonds, and let her be free as she once was!"

"With her free, and Jones dead from your deed, I don't see how you could ask for more than that." Edmund looked at Jack. He rolled his eyes.

"Your first mate will not be pleased to hear about this!" Reepicheep said cheekily as he pranced around on the mast above Peter's head.

"Oui!" Jack bellowed with horror. "A spy. Ed, as captain of this ship, I _demand_ that you toss the fur-ball overboard! The sharks are mighty hungry in these parts."

"You couldn't catch me if you were a house fly." Reepicheep edged him on. "And it'd give me great pleasure to swipe your wings right off."

"Oh, please." Jack rolled his eyes. "Ed! Would you be so kind?"

"I say we toss _him_ overboard!" Reepicheep pointed at Jack.

"Right back at you." Peter nodded.

"Two against one? Those stakes don't sound fair to me." Jack pouted. He looked to Edmund for help.

"I think it'd be best if I turn in for the night." Edmund sighed. "Come, Reep. I'm about to suffer mental fatigue."

"I too, Your Majesty!" Reepicheep hopped onto his shoulder, after cutting Peter loose.

"Oui, squeaky?" Jack spoke up. "You'll not be a-mentioning this to Barbossa, right?" He pleaded sheepishly.

"Ahh, I shall wait for the opportune moment!" Reepicheep teased him. Jack frowned frightfully. Peter followed Edmund and the mouse back inside.

"Remind me to never share my full-fledged, brilliant plan with anyone ever again!" Jack moaned to himself.

"Not a word of this to the girls, Ed." Peter warned his brother.

"I wouldn't dream of it. It'll give me great pleasure as a spectator when Susan bites your head off when she finds out we didn't tell her!" Edmund teased.

* * *

Back in the cell of the _Flying Dutchman,_ Elizabeth stood back against the pole. So much had happened in the passed year, the passed week! Now, what was to become of them? The quiet of the brig was interrupted by sturdy, urgent footsteps that made their way to the cell door. It was Norrington, and he was unlocking the door! "Come with me." Norrington said. No one moved. "Quickly!" He frowned. Elizabeth glared at him suspiciously but nodded to her crew to obey Norrington's orders.

"What are you doing?" Elizabeth asked suspiciously. Norrington glanced at her grimly.

"Choosing a side." He said with determination.

"Then free the Narnians as well." Elizabeth told him firmly. Norrington sullenly nodded and let the creatures out.

"Quick, follow me!" He told them. Bootstrap heard the commotion and slipped out of his cell. The larger Narnians, the minotaurs and centaurs, quietly climbed down the sides of the ship and began to swim toward the _Empress_ while Elizabeth's crew slipped across the tow line. "Do not go to Shipwreck Cove." Norrington urged Elizabeth. "Beckett knows about the meeting of the Conclave. I fear there may be a traitor among them."

"It's too late to earn my forgiveness." Elizabeth told him coldly.

"I had _nothing_ to do with your father's death!" Norrington told her defensively with hurt on his face that she would ever believe such a thing. "But that does not absolve me of my other sins." He looked away. Elizabeth watched him and realized he was telling the truth.

"Come with us." She said. Norrington gaped at her in surprise. "James, come with me! I know you don't think too well of pirates and the like. You're a soldier. But...you could be free! Please, come with me, and you can be free of Jones and Beckett."

Norrington appeared to be considering when a loud voice hollered, _"Who goes there?!"_ It was Bootstrap. Norrington quickly drew his sword, and protectively shoved Elizabeth behind him. They both looked up and saw old Bootstrap on the balcony.

"Go! I will follow." Norrington told her. Elizabeth shook her head.

"You're lying!" She argued. Norrington looked at her bravely.

"Our destinies have been entwined, Elizabeth. But never joined." He told her sadly. Then he reached her lips and kissed her. "Go now!" He begged her as he stood his ground. Elizabeth hated to leave him behind. But she had to go now! She took one last look at him, then clambered up the railing and hoisted herself onto the tow line. "Back to your station, sailor." Norrington sternly told Bootstrap when he appeared. He seemed to be confused.

"No one leaves the ship." He said.

"Stand down!" Norrington ordered firmly. "That's an order." Bootstrap appeared to become more confused and delirious with every passing second.

"Part of the ship...part of the crew. Part of the ship! Part of the crew!" He yelled. "Prisoners escaping!"

"Belay that!" Norrington countered him, drawing his gun. Elizabeth looked back.

"James!" She called frightfully. Norrington looked back at her sadly. He glanced back to Bootstrap, then the woman he'd once loved, trying to escape. He shot the tow line and the crew dropped down into the ocean. Bootstrap impaled him through the chest with a stake. "JAMES! NO!" Elizabeth screamed as she watched him go down. But she couldn't go to him. She had to keep swimming. And so she did, back to the _Empress._

The _Dutchman's_ crew were taken aback that Norrington was down. Davy Jones leaned in close to him. He could see that the brave commodore was still alive, though barely. "James Norrington, do you fear death?" He asked quietly. Norrington looked at him. He'd seen what this man had done to others, and this man served under Lord Beckett, and he'd seen what Beckett had done to Elizabeth's family. Norrington shoved his own sword through Jones' chest, but to no avail. Then he sank back as he stopped breathing. "I'll take that as a no." Jones sighed calmly. With his lobster claw, he pulled out the sword. "Hmm. Nice sword." He remarked casually and left the dead body.


	13. Chapter 13 Wrong Will Be Put Right

The _Black Pearl_ finally reached the island known as Shipwreck Cove. Some of the crew were chewing their nails apprehensively about this whole matter. "Look alive and keep a weather eye!" Gibbs yelled at them. "It's not for Nord it's called Shipwreck Island, where lies Shipwreck Cove in the town of Shipwreck."

"You heard him! Step lively!" Pintel bellowed.

"You know, for all the pirates and clever coves, we are an unimaginative lot when it comes to naming things." Jack sighed. "I once sailed with a geezer that lost both of his arms, and part of his eye."

"What'd ya call him?"

"Larry." Jack said nonchalantly.

"Where is Sao Feng? And where is Elizabeth?" Edmund huffed impatiently. "They should've been here by now." He was worried about her and just wanted to see her again to know she was all right.

"What's got your feathers ruffled, Ed? She'll be here." Peter shook his head.

"Speaking of which, where is Will?" Susan asked. "I haven't seen him since yesterday. And he's not in the brig."

"I'm sure he'll turn up." Peter said confidently.

While the pirates prepared for the large get-together that evening, Lucy was leaning on the helm. "Whatcha doin' up there, missy?" Barbossa asked, startling her.

"Nothing." Lucy sighed.

"Lucy, you all right, luv? You seemed a bit lost deep in that pretty mind of yours." Jack commented. Lucy made her way over to the railing.

"Are you all sure this is the best way to handle this matter?" Lucy asked without facing them.

"Aye, lass. Tis best for all concerned." Barbossa nodded.

"Personally, I do not agree." Jack interjected. "But what's got you so down in the mouth?"

"I still think there's another way. A better way." Lucy finally faced them.

"Come again?" Jack furrowed his brows.

"She means you-know-who." Barbossa remarked.

"As potential as that sounds, I'm afraid pirate matters do not fit into the Great King Aslan's to-do list, luv." Jack said nonchalantly.

"Aye, otherwise where He be at a time like this?" Gibbs spoke up.

"Have you gentlemen even petitioned His divine assistance?" Lucy challenged them. The three men were befuddled, and cleared their throats. They certainly hadn't expected a response like that!

"A profound answer, lass, for one so young." Barbossa finally managed to say.

"Aye!" Jack smiled.

"But as being it no Aslan is present to drop in on the Brethren Court, we'll be a-gatherin' as planned." Barbossa said and walked down the stairs.

"Sorry, lass." Gibbs shrugged then followed Barbossa. Lucy's face fell again and she hung her head. Jack bit his lip. He prayed she wouldn't start crying!

"It _was_ a thought, luv." He offered cheerfully. Lucy shook her head and Jack watched her leave dejectedly. He felt bad for her but apparently his methods to making her feel better were not working. But it was best not to fret about that at a time like this.

* * *

Night had fallen, and they were sailing into the largest cave deep inside the cove. However, the Pevensies were debating with the pirates over the best method to handle the war with Beckett. "The meeting of the Brethren Court ain't even started, and already we be caught up in an absurd conference over the bloody matter at hand!" Barbossa declared.

"It's _our_ fight too, you old bull-moose!" Reepicheep snipped at him.

"Beckett and Jones with their infernal war machines are on their way." Susan pointed out.

"Yes, and our only hope is to strike them before they strike us!" Trumpkin added. "Tonight!" He had no interest in this Brethren Court nonsense.

"That's crazy! No one has ever survived fighting their ship." Gibbs said.

"There's always a first time." Trumpkin said. "We'll have the element of surprise."

"But we have the advantage here." Edmund pointed out, trying to dissuade them from doing something stupid.

"If we attack tonight, we could probably take them out all at once." Susan suggested. Her brothers had kept their word not to tell her or Lucy about Jack and Will's plan. Peter frowned at Susan.

"That is out of the question." Barbossa interrupted.

"Look, this place isn't a fortress, it's a tomb." Susan argued with him. "We can't just stay here after the Brethren Court has reached a decision. It would be suicide."

"Ahh! Listen to the lady!" Jack agreed. "We must fight...to run away."

"Spoken like the flighty coward ye are." Barbossa snarled.

"I am not!" Jack argued.

"Shut up!" Reepicheep squeaked. "The both of you!"

"It would be better for Jones to be dead, than to release an angry, untameable, magical female being and leave our fate in her hands. It would be better for someone to stab the heart of Davy Jones." Jack said. Peter and Edmund glared at him. Weren't they supposed to keep that a secret? Jack looked at them innocently. "What?" He huffed.

"That's what I'm worried about." Lucy moaned. Everyone turned to stare at her.

"Sorry?" Peter furrowed his brows.

"Well, you're all acting like there are only two options: dying here, or dying there." Lucy said quietly.

"Oh! And I suppose a young missy like yurself would have a better suggestion, no?" Barbossa scoffed.

"I'm not really sure you're listening, Lu." Peter frowned.

"No, _you're_ not listening." Lucy persisted. "Or have you forgotten Who _really_ defeated the White Witch, Peter?" She asked him firmly. Peter glared at her. Hadn't he done enough? If Aslan was on their side, why hadn't He shown Himself by now, like last time?

"I think we've waited for Aslan long enough." Jack broke the silence. "Though I am not meself, in agreement at even summoning the self-satisfying, greedy, reckless pirate lords. Frankly, I see it as a needless waste of time. And a most dreadful pain to my ears."

"Belay that!" Barbossa yelled. "The meeting of the Brethren Court is at hand. We best not be late." He glowered down in Jack's face. Jack grimaced and grabbed his hat. They all made their way to the bow of the ship as the cove came into place. It looked to Peter like some building out of a movie, all lit up, yet as if it had been built with junk from the dump all thrown together.

"Look at them all." Pintel said in awe as he saw the other pirates sailing in.

"There's not been a gathering like this in our lifetime." Barbossa said with pride, taking in the moment.

"And I owe them all money!" Jack gulped. Barbossa smirked. Jack was in for a rough time, and Barbossa was going to enjoy every minute of it. Peter turned on his heel and marched away from everyone.

"Your Majesty," Barbossa said to Edmund, his voice thick with sarcasm, "me ladies, ye all mind the ship!"

* * *

Lucy found Peter sitting glumly at the stern. She silently sat down next to him. She knew he was vexed and hoped he would clear his head. "You're lucky, you know." He mumbled.

"What do you mean?" She asked curiously.

"To have seen Him." Peter hung his head. "I just wish, He'd give me some sort of proof."

"Well, maybe we're the ones who need to prove ourselves to Him." Lucy smiled, clasping his large hand with her small one. Peter looked down at her thoughtfully.

"You're right, Lu. Like you usually are." He sighed. "I'm sorry I didn't listen to you."

" _Again?"_ Lucy quipped. Peter blushed with embarrassment.

"Me not listening to you is the reason we've gotten into all this trouble."

"Or, maybe we were sent to help stop it." Lucy offered. They could hear the boisterous voices overhead inside one of the upper rooms, of the pirates berating at each other.

"We have to do something." Peter said with determination.

"But what?" Lucy asked.

"Come on, Lu." Peter replied, grabbing her hand and rising to his feet.

"Pete, you're going to wanna see this!" Edmund smiled widely. They reached the bow of the _Pearl_ to see a Chinese ship appear. Elizabeth dismounted, with an army of Chinese men, and...and _Narnians_ behind her!

"Elizabeth! You're safe!" Susan waved to her. Elizabeth smiled and hurried over to them.

"You all made it." She sighed with relief.

"I'm so glad you're all right." Edmund smiled sheepishly when she glanced at him.

"Where's Sao Feng?" Susan asked.

"He's dead. We were attacked by the _Dutchman."_ Elizabeth said solemnly.

"The _Dutchman?!"_ Peter growled.

"Aye. Sao Feng made me captain of his ship. Oh, we also brought some passengers along who I believe intend to speak with you." Elizabeth explained, tilting her head to the Narnians disembarking her ship. "I need to get in there! Excuse me." And she ran to join the pirates. Edmund watched her go with a wistful look on his face. She was so much more beautiful in that regal outfit.

"Rafael!" Reepicheep greeted a fellow faun. "Stephan! Draco!"

"Reepicheep?" They all sputtered at the same time. "What are _you_ doing here?!"

"It's a long story." Reepicheep shrugged.

"Don't tell me you were captured by the _Flying Dutchman_ as well!" Susan exclaimed.

"Yes, ma'am. Indeed we were." One of the wolves groaned. "But the commodore set us free, and the lady Captain Swann was kind enough not to let us drown."

"My good friends, is that any way to greet your high kings and queens?" Reepicheep scolded all of them.

"What?!"

"We've returned." Susan said quickly.

"But why?" A dwarf grumbled.

"We will explain. Susan, Ed? We need to talk." Peter said seriously.

"What about?" Susan asked.

"Well, the pirate lords are having a conference. I say we have a little conference of our own." Peter declared proudly.

* * *

Barbossa demanded that all the lords contribute their trinkets for the release of Calypso but Pintel was very disappointed at what they all pulled out."Those aren't pieces of eight. They're just pieces of junk." Pintel pointed out.

"Aye. The original plan was to use nine pieces of eight to bind Calypso. But when the First Court met, the Brethren were to a one skint broke." Gibbs said.

"So change the name."

"To 'nine pieces of whatever we happen to have in our pockets at the time'? Oh, yes. That sounds very piratey." Gibbs muttered sarcastically.

The pirates argued back and forth about to or not to release Calypso and or fight Beckett. Barbossa drew out Captain Teague-Jack's own father!-, keeper of the code, to give the final directive. Much to Jack's chagrin, he had to go along with Barbossa's plan of releasing the deity and Elizabeth's plan to go to war. They voted for a new pirate king, and to everyone's startled surprise, rather than naming himself, Jack voted for Elizabeth! And so, they all named her their new king. "What say you, Captain Swann, King of the Brethren Court?" Mistress Ching addressed Elizabeth.

"Prepare every vessel that floats. At dawn...we're at war." Elizabeth said confidently. Jack smiled and nodded in approval. Then he turned to his father.

"That's the trick isn't it? To survive?" Jack asked him.

"It's not just about surviving, Jackie. It's about learning to live with yourself, _forever."_ Captain Teague said lowly in his deep voice.

* * *

Once again, Peter and his siblings had had to patiently win back their people's trust. With some persuasion from Reepicheep, they managed to accomplish that goal. Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy spoke privately about an important matter and waited for their bickering party to return. When the pirates climbed back aboard the _Black Pearl,_ they were shocked to find Narnian creatures there! "So, what happened?" Lucy asked.

"We free Calypso and go to war!" Barbossa smirked.

Once more, Peter bravely strode up to Barbossa and said, _"We've_ made a decision." The authority in his voice indicated it was important.

"If we listen to the whelp, maybe he'll stop hurting our ears!" Jack whispered to Barbossa. "Get it out of his system."

"Speak then, _Your Majesty."_ Barbossa leered at Peter with his arms folded.

"Oh, you meant him." Elizabeth sputtered sheepishly.

"What?" Edmund looked at her quizzically.

"Jack named me as the new pirate king." Elizabeth said proudly.

"You see, the pirate king is elected by popular vote." Gibbs explained.

"And every pirate only ever votes for hisself." Barbossa muttered, ever the sorehead when things didn't go his way.

"I think it's great." Edmund told Elizabeth proudly.

"Thank you, Ed." She smiled.

" _I_ was the one who voted for her, you know!" Jack whined. Nobody listened to him.

"Name your terms, Your Majesty." Barbossa reminded Peter.

"While we've been dragged into this war with Beckett against piracy, we've been forced to go after him too, for his invasion of Narnia." Peter began.

"And our people." Susan spoke up.

'"It's their fight too, every bit as much as it is yours." Edmund told the pirates.

"Releasing the sea goddess and declaring war are not enough." Peter said firmly. The pirates all gasped among each other.

"How's that?" Barbossa frowned in annoyance.

"We can't just let her go, hoping she'll be merciful and then go to battle." Susan said. "There's too much at stake. We need someone wiser, and more powerful that we _can_ depend on, to be on our side when the moment to strike arrives."

"After we declare war on Beckett tomorrow, we are sending Lucy off this ship, and out of these waters...to find Aslan." Peter declared. The pirates gaped and muttered together. Jack looked petrified.

"Peter!" Elizabeth gasped. "Do you think that wise?"

" _Yes."_ Peter nodded.

"You're mad, the whole lot of you." Barbossa shook his head. "It's foolish."

"And you agree to this?" Elizabeth sternly scolded Edmund.

" _I do."_ He said flatly.

"I stand by his majesties." Reepicheep announced. Barbossa rolled his eyes.

"My ship. I forbid it!" Jack demanded.

"Cakes and kettledrums. _That's your next big plan?!"_ Trumpkin asked in alarm.

"Sending a little girl, off to who knows where? Out on the ocean, on a battlefield? Alone?!" Jack protested.

"It's our only chance." Peter said with a tone of finality.

"And she won't be alone." Susan added.

"Haven't enough of us died already?" Trumpkin remarked sadly. Lucy said nothing.

"There be Narnians who were my friends too. But they lost hope." Reepicheep said. "But Queen Lucy hasn't."

"And neither have I." Elizabeth nodded, much more calm now.

"For Aslan." Reepicheep said with deep reverence, drawing his sword.

"For Aslan." Elizabeth agreed.

"Then I'm going with you." Trumpkin told Lucy.

"No need for that, mate. _I'll_ go." Jack said bravely. Everybody gaped at him. Being the skeptical pirate that he was-someone used to betrayal and cons-he had a feeling that Peter and Edmund were using this as a diversion to prevent him from stabbing the heart of Davy Jones. But even if that were true, how was he supposed to predict that they would use their own little sister as leverage? _Bloody whelps!_ He thought to himself. He wanted to stab the heart more than anything, but little Lucy was his good friend. And out on the Caribbean Sea, alone, and in the midst of a battle? Never! That was low, even Jack didn't think _Peter_ would go that far! He could stab the heart as soon as they returned, but no way was he about to let Lucy go off alone, and unprotected!

"No." Lucy smiled at both Trumpkin and Jack. "We need you here. Both of you."

"Lucy..." Jack was at a loss for words, "you're good with this, luv?" He asked her seriously.

"Yes, Jack." Lucy grinned bravely.

Peter unsheathed his sword and Edmund read aloud, " _Wrong will be made right, when Aslan comes in sight."_

* * *

 **I can't wait to post the next chapter, the Island Meeting with Beckett, Will, and Davy Jones! That one is going to be fun to write!**


	14. Chapter 14 Just Good Business

**This one I really enjoyed writing.**

* * *

It was the next day after the gathering of the Brethren. All the vessels were assembled, prepared for war. All gazed on the horizon, waiting for Beckett and the _Dutchman_ to appear. Through the fog, a lone ship appeared. "The enemy is here! Let's take 'em!" Marty yelled. The people shouted in unison. But the cheering was short-lived as numerous ships, approximately fifty revealed themselves as the fog cleared!

" _Aack! Abandon ship! Abandon ship!"_ Cotton's parrot screeched and flew away. Everybody, _everybody_ turned and glared lethally at Jack. He grinned nervously and twitched his mustache.

"Parley?" He asked feebly.

"There has to be at least fifty men aboard every vessel." Susan worried. "Armies more numerous than ours!"

"Numbers don't win a war, Susan." Edmund said.

"No, but I bet they help." Ragetti replied timidly.

* * *

So it was settled. Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy sailed in a long boat with Barbossa, Elizabeth, and Jack to a narrow sand bar in the middle of the sea, as a visible mediator between the two enemies. Reepicheep demanded that he accompany his royals, but they suggested he remain with the ship to look after his fellow Narnians and keep order aboard. Barbossa and Jack were against the boys bringing Lucy along, but Lucy had stood her own ground without her brothers doing it for her. "I wish you'd all stop trying to sound like grownups!" Lucy scolded the two men, cutting them off guard. Elizabeth smiled at her. "I too am a royal of Narnia just as much as Susan, Edmund, and Peter. Beckett attacked our home. I'm going with you." And with that, she climbed into the boat ahead of everyone else.

"Ladies first." Jack said sarcastically, making way for Susan and Elizabeth. Susan rolled her eyes at him.

* * *

Barbossa, Elizabeth, Jack, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy stiffly strode along the long strip of sand up to their nemeses. Will was standing beside Beckett...and Davy Jones, who was standing in a bucket of water! Barbossa's steely eyes let right into Will. "You be the cur that led these wolves to our door?" Barbossa accused him with a snarl.

"Will. _You_ did this?" Susan gaped.

"I don't believe it." Lucy said sadly. "Will, how could you?" Will looked at them but said nothing.

"Don't blame Turner." Beckett said in his usual, annoying cocky manner. "He was merely the tool of your betrayal. "If you wish to see its grand architect, look to your left." Barbossa and Elizabeth both looked left...in Jack's direction. He looked left too then felt their gaze upon him.

"My hands are clean in this!" He told them defensively, throwing up his hands."Figuratively."

"My actions were my own and to my own purpose." Will explained. "Jack had nothing to do with it."

"Well spoke! Listen to the tool!" Jack said excitedly.

"Will, I've been aboard the _Dutchman._ I understand the burden you bear, but I feel that cause is lost." Elizabeth said grimly.

"No cause is lost, if there is one fool left to fight for it." Will said bravely, giving Jack, Peter, and Edmund a knowing look. Jack smiled while Edmund subtly nodded, but Peter kept up his ticked off facade. Elizabeth and Susan glanced around the men in confusion.

"If Turner wasn't acting on your behalf, then how did he come to give me this?" Beckett asked as he pulled out and revealed Jack's precious compass. Lucy's eyes widened and she looked at Jack skeptically.

"Jack's compass." Susan sputtered. Barbossa's already sour expression tightened into a death glare. Jack was ruining his plans!

"You made a deal with me, Jack, to deliver the pirates. And here they are." Beckett said in a whiny voice, tossing the compass back to Jack. "Don't be bashful, step up and claim your reward." Jack fidgeted nervously.

"Your debt to me is still to be satisfied!" Davy Jones spoke up. "100 years of servitude aboard the _Dutchman,_ as a start!" Elizabeth's eyes widened. Jack would never put himself up as that kind of offering again, not after escaping the locker. He and Will were up to something, she could smell it.

"And you wonder why we don't like you." Edmund sighed dramatically at Davy Jones.

"That debt was paid, mate!" Jack protested. "With some help."

"You escaped!" Davy Jones growled. Lucy nervously stood closer to Edmund. Davy Jones was grisly to look at, and his short temper made him all the more frightening. Edmund protectively gripped her wrist.

"Technically..." Jack began.

"Ahh. So it's come down to this, has it, Jack?" Beckett interrupted him. "Now you think I will soften the blow, if you have _children_ with you. Putting them up for collateral. Very clever, but not clever enough."

"No." Peter spoke up, keeping a firm hand resting on his handguard.

"Oh?" Beckett cocked his head.

"I am High King Peter, by the gift of Aslan, by election and by conquest, High King of Narnia, Lord of Cair Paravel, and Emperor of the Lone Islands." Peter said proudly.

" _Ah, ha, ha, ha!"_ Davy Jones laughed cruelly. "That be a real josher! Look at the scamp. They're just waifs! Now I'm glad I came along."

"You'll be sorry for that." Susan snapped at him.

"Jones does bring up an excellent point." Beckett sneered. "What brings you children along? You are not pirates."

"You invaded and terrorized our kingdom!" Lucy said unhappily.

"More like _cleaned out."_ Beckett smiled darkly at her. Peter and Edmund both scowled at him. They didn't appreciate the way this snake was eyeing their little sister.

"You raided our land, and destroyed Cair Paravel." Susan added.

"You're going to pay for that." Peter glowered at Beckett, whose gaze now fell on Edmund. He was a very young man, able-bodied, and most likely easily influenced. Perhaps he could be persuaded to join the **East India Trading Company.**

"Tell me, Prince Edmund..." Beckett smirked.

" _King."_ Edmund corrected him.

"Pardon me?" Beckett grunted. Davy Jones arched his eyebrows skeptically with wide eyes. Susan and Lucy grinned, as did Will. Barbossa rolled his eyes.

"It's _King Edmund_ actually. Just king though, Peter's the High King. I know, it's confusing."

"Why? Why would you risk to challenge the _Flying Dutchman_ and the **East India Trading Company,** when our armies could wipe you out, just like that?"

Edmund curled his eyebrows as if he didn't understand the question. "Haven't you already underestimated our numbers?" He asked. "I mean, only a week ago, Jack Sparrow was extinct, as were Narnians."

" _Captain._ It's _Captain_ Jack Sparrow." Jack sighed, rolling his eyes.

"And so you shall all be again." Beckett pursed his lips.

"Then you should have little to fear." Edmund snickered.

"This is not a question of bravery, _boy,_ it's just good business." Beckett smirked with squinted eyes and his nose in the air.

"So, you're bravely refusing to negotiate peacefully with a monarch half your age?" Edmund prodded.

"Yes." Beckett nodded, though he glared at Edmund calling him a coward. "Needless bloodshed is so grotesque. There's still time to surrender."

"Well, then feel free!" Peter snarled.

"Oh, come now Master Peter. How many more of your people must die, for _your_ noble cause?" Beckett sneered. He was referring to the Narnians and the pirates.

" _Just one."_ Peter squinted darkly right at the jerk face with his smug smile. Jack had someone else on this little island in mind for that category, but he couldn't show his hand just yet.

"I propose an exchange." Elizabeth interrupted them. They all looked at her curiously, especially Beckett. "Will leaves with us." She, Jack, Will, Peter, and Edmund all grinned. "And you can take Jack." Barbossa, Jack, Susan, and Lucy all gaped at her in horror.

"Done." Will agreed without hesitation.

"Undone!" Jack argued.

"Done." Beckett said.

"Elizabeth, what are you doing?" Lucy asked worriedly. "You can't!"

"Jack's one of the nine pirate lords. You have no right!" Barbossa hissed at Elizabeth.

" _King."_ She smirked at him. Edmund had to stifle a chuckle. She had played them exactly the same way he would've!

 _I love that woman,_ he thought to himself.

Elizabeth looked back to Jack. "As you command, your nibs." He bowed, removing his hat. This was exactly why he'd named her as king. It fit right into his plans. Of course, he couldn't let his nemeses catch on.

"Jack, no!" Lucy begged him. "It's a trap! Don't go!" Jack turned to look at her forlornly. Beckett watched them closely.

"Not to worry, dear." Jack smiled to Lucy. "I'm Captain Jack Sparrow. Trust me, luv. Savvy?" Lucy was nearly in tears. Jack frowned sympathetically and started toward Will.

"Blackguard!" Barbossa howled furiously, drawing his sword, and startling Lucy who grabbed Edmund's arm. Barbossa swiped Jack's piece of eight from his hair. He scowled like a madman as the monkey picked it up. He stomped over to Jack and leaned dangerously in his face. "If ye have something to say, I might be saying something as well." He warned Jack.

"First to the finish then?" Jack asked. He marched forward to join the other side. He and Will passed each other with the most brooding glares as Will rejoined his party. He secretly grinned that their plan had worked. Beckett was smirking as usual, as he shooed Jack away to stand by Davy Jones. Jack gulped hard and kept his eyes on the ground as he was forced to stand beside the slimy man.

" _Do you fear death?"_ Davy Jones growled in his slurred voice.

"You have no idea." Jack said timidly.

Beckett stepped forward, once again taking charge of the scene. "Advise your brethren, you can fight and all of you will die. Or you can not fight, in which case only most of you will die." He said.

Elizabeth walked forward till she was nose to nose with him, her vibrant brown eyes aflame. "You murdered my father." She said brazenly.

"He chose his own fate." Beckett replied, unfazed.

"And you've chosen yours." Elizabeth glared hatefully. "We _will_ fight." She said venomously. "And you _will_ die." With that, she turned on her heel and marched away. Susan and Edmund, then Barbossa and Will followed. Barbossa held out his hand and Jack the monkey handed the piece of eight.

"So be it." Beckett sighed with pleasure. Lucy looked back sadly at Jack. He grinned and waved to her. Peter subtly nodded to him and took his sister's hand.

"Come, Lu." He said.

"King?" Will sputtered.

"Of the Brethren Court, courtesy of Jack." Elizabeth held her head proudly.

"Maybe he really _does_ know what he's doing." Will said, more to himself than the others.

* * *

 **Just wait until you find out what happens in the next chapter!**


	15. Chapter 15 Leverage

**Thank you, civilwarrose, for your comments. Glad you're enjoying this story. Yes, I agree about Lucy and Jack, and the movie makers said that was how her chemistry was with Trumpkin in Prince Caspian too. That's what I wanted in here, and I have loved writing every moment of interaction between Lucy and Jack.**

* * *

The small longboat trolled along back to the pirate ships. They were halfway between the fleet and the island now. "Lucy, you can wipe that worried look off your face. Jack will be all right." Will told her kindly.

"How could you both give him up to them like that?" Lucy asked crossly. "They'll kill him!"

"No, no, no. Jack is very shrewd." Elizabeth assured her.

"Pfft." Barbossa spat with his arms crossed.

"Don't fret, darling." Will smiled at Lucy. "Jack has a plan, and this was all a ruse so that Beckett and Jones wouldn't figure out what we were up to. Jack is going to..." A loud rumble was heard.

"Wait. What's that?" Elizabeth gasped.

"I don't suppose it could be a whale?" Edmund gulped, praying it wasn't a sea serpent!

"There be no whales in these parts." Barbossa said. But before he could say anything else, the waters sprayed high into the air as an enormous green, dilapidated ship briskly rose out of the water, like a giant monster! Lucy clung to Peter's arm and Susan began panting with fright.

"What the devil?" Will frowned.

"The _Dutchman?!"_ Elizabeth gasped. "How can this be?"

"You a-played us again, did ye?" Barbossa snarled at Will.

"No!" Will shook his head. "I swear it!" Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy were petrified at what they saw. The menacing ship was like a terrible, scary villain vehicle from the cartoons they'd watched in the movies! Only bigger, ten times scarier, more real, and very close! Up on the slime-covered deck stood Beckett, ever shallow and smirking. Next to him stood Davy Jones. Jack's hands were bound in front of him, and he was being held back by two of Jones' hideous crew members.

"What do you want?!" Peter yelled at them. "You won't get anything from us. We made our stand!"

"Just a little something we forgot to pick up." Beckett slurred and nodded to Davy Jones. Raising his tentacled hand, he shot out a lariat cord-that he'd frisked off a mermaid he'd killed a while back-straight down at the tiny boat. The net thrust itself tightly around Lucy's waist and dragged her up to the ship! Poor Lucy cried out, terrified.

"NO!" Edmund screeched. They all rose in the boat.

"LUCY!" Peter yelled, outraged.

"Jones, what are ye doing?!" Jack hollered at him in great alarm.

" _Lucy!"_ Susan screamed in horror. Jones clasped his horrid lobster claw around Lucy's small arm, and held her other one fast with his tentacled hand. She was shaking with pure fear and tears were running down her face.

" _You horrible, loathsome, sniveling cockroach!"_ Susan wailed furiously at Beckett. She quickly drew her bow.

" _Let her go!"_ Peter and Will hollered in unison.

"See here now, you filthy bilge rat!" Barbossa growled, drawing his sword. "She's only a child. This doesn't involve her. Now take your grimy claws off her before I have yur gizzard for monkey chow!"

"Ohh, she's more than only a child." Beckett said smoothly, still too calm. "A lot more. Unless I'm mistaken, she is Queen Lucy the Valiant, queen of Narnia." He smirked. "It wouldn't do for the people of Narnia to believe she was anything less, now would it?" Poor Lucy struggled, with wide, terrified eyes. Jones twisted his grisly mouth into a cruel smile.

Susan shot an arrow directly at Jones _,_ which landed him right in the upper right shoulder. He barked a laugh at her as it didn't penetrate a grievous injury. Susan gaped in dismay. Beckett grinned evilly. "Nice try, Miss Pevensie. Oh, pardon me. _Your Majesty._ Too bad. Well, I am sure the Narnians will hold a colossal memorial to _Queen Lucy the Valiant,_ when they discover she died for her people." The _Flying Dutchman_ was beginning to float away! With Lucy on it!

"No. Give her back! Look, Jonesy, it's me you want! Let the child go! You've got me." Jack implored. "Please. She's just a little girl." One of Jones' crew shoved Jack to the rail and slapped him backward so that he disappeared...under water!

"Jack!" Lucy wailed. Jones strengthened his grip on her.

"Fair trade, wouldn't you say? A queen, for a sparrow." Beckett sneered.

" _Release her!"_ Peter demanded. Standing at the edge of the boat, but the large ship was nearly just out of reach!

"Lucy!" Susan screeched. "No! Come back with her! Lucy!"

Peter tossed a harpoon onto the _Dutchman_ and quickly climbed it. He had just enough stamina in him to get him on the ship as he held onto one of the ladder rungs. He swung himself up over the edge and stood his ground, with his sword at the ready. He was _not_ going to lose his little sister, and seeing her helplessly surrounded by these monsters enraged him. "Well, well, well, if isn't High King Peter, the _Magnificent."_ Beckett sneered. "Gentlemen, pay homage to our honored guest." The crew jeered.

"You won't get away with this!" Peter snarled. His eyes were viciously fixed on the creature tightly holding Lucy. She looked frightfully at Peter. _"Aaarrggghhh!"_ Peter hollered as he charged directly at the monster. Beckett stood there calmly. One of the soldiers clubbed Peter's left arm with a loud _SNAP!_ Peter yelled out in pain and halted, clutching his badly injured limb. Then the thug whacked Peter in the gut so hard he stumbled then fell back off the _Dutchman,_ down into the water, hitting the back of his head against the ship's undercarriage.

"Peter!" Susan cried out in horror.

"Pete!" Edmund gasped. He threw off his armor and dove into the water after his brother.

"Edmund!" Susan screamed.

"Ed!" Will shouted. "Quick! Get a rope!" Elizabeth handed him one and he quickly tied it around his waist, then jumped into the water after Edmund and Peter. The water was dark and billowing in the after suction of the _Dutchman_ speeding away. Will could hardly see, then he barely noticed a white cloth flailing about. Thankfully, they were in the shallows not far from the narrow strip of island, so the water wasn't nearly as deep as in the open water, but they were still in danger of drowning!

Edmund had just about reached Peter, who was sinking lower. Edmund grabbed him around the throat, and struggled to bring him back to the surface. But he couldn't hold his breath for much longer, and it seemed with every stroke he fought towards the top of the water, the longer it took to get there. Will lowered himself as far as the rope would allow. He grabbed Edmund's shoulder, then with all his strength, he tried to pull him and his brother up. With the other hand, he tugged on the rope, desperately signaling for help.

Barbossa was jerking the rope up, along with Susan, and Elizabeth. Susan was grasping the rope so hard her knuckles were turning white. "Ed, where are you?!" She whimpered. Barbossa gave another vigorous heave, and three heads popped out of the water. Edmund and Will gasped loudly for air.

"Ed! Peter!" Susan cried happily.

"Will!" Elizabeth's face lit up.

"Help! A hand, please!" Edmund begged. Will set himself against the boat's side, hoisting Peter onto his shoulder and together they pulled him to the boat. Barbossa reached down and helped them haul Peter into the boat. Then Will and Edmund climbed in.

"Edmund!" Susan sobbed, clutching her younger brother. Edmund was trying to catch his breath, but he clung tightly to her. Barbossa bent over Peter while Elizabeth hugged Will.

"Are you all right?" She asked him anxiously.

"Yeah." Will panted, nodding.

Peter was very pale, and didn't respond to anything as the small party hovered over him. "He's unconscious." Will said, looking up at Susan. "But he's breathing."

"He's hurt though." Edmund stated, still panting from his heroic swim. Susan gripped his arm.

"Thanks." She told Will quietly. Will merely nodded, then took the oars. He and Elizabeth rowed as fast as they could back to the _Pearl._

"Oh, no!" Edmund gasped.

"What is it now?" Barbossa glanced at him, disgruntled.

"Peter's sword! Where is it?" Edmund sputtered. Susan's eyes bulged.

"He left it on the _Dutchman,_ when they hit him." She breathed with horror.

"Beckett has it!" Will snarled.

"Quickly, lads. We must get back to the _Pearl._ No time to waste!" Barbossa told them.

"But Lucy!" Edmund protested. "We have to get her back! Jones will kill her."

"We'll get her back, Ed. Susan. That's a promise." Will assured them.

* * *

Jack Sparrow had resurfaced and finally caught up to the _Dutchman,_ and crept up the side of the ship with some difficulty. Then, he flung himself down the mast ropes, and fell onto the floor with a thud. He wriggled his wrists hard to free himself of his bonds, and finally managed to get his hands out. He saw Peter's mighty sword on the ground-shocked that Beckett hadn't snatched it up-, and so he took it. Then he started to make his way down into the bowels of the ship.

Poor Lucy was tossed into one of the moldy cells and the door was slammed shut, trapping her inside. She looked up fearfully at her monstrous captors. She was shaking terribly. "Sorry it's not exactly what you're accustomed to at Cair Paravel, but we hope you'll be comfortable, Your Majesty..." Beckett said cockily. The hideous _Dutchman_ crew leered at her.

"Then Edmund was right," Lucy glared. "You were the one who destroyed it."

"More or less." Beckett narrowed his eyes.

"You won't get away with this." Lucy said bravely. "The _Black Pearl_ will fight you and stop you!"

Beckett laughed. "We'll see about that. And who's to save you all, when the _Pearl,_ and her measly army is blasted to splintered carnage, _my lady_?"

" _Aslan_ will help us." Lucy said confidently without any reservation. Beckett's countenance flinched for a mere second. He hadn't expected that answer!

"Saucy little wench, aren't you?" He chuckled hideously. "Well, you believe in your fairy tales and knights in shining armor all you like, Miss Pevensie. But nobody can help you or your pirate friends now. Not even the mighty Aslan. Rest comfortably, _Your Majesty."_ He marched away with his band of miscreants. Davy Jones leaned his face in close to the bars and snarled loudly at Lucy who backed away from him.

"Tell me, do you fear death, wee lassie?" He squinted at her.

"Not for myself." Lucy tried to say in a steady voice.

"Good thing. 'Cause it'll be on ye sooner than you think!"Then he huffed and hobbled away. Lucy hugged her knees and cried.

" _Aslan, please help us!"_ She prayed desperately.

* * *

Beckett and his army had just stepped back up to deck, when who should they find standing up there to greet them but Jack Sparrow. "You!" Davy Jones growled. "You again."

"That's right, me again." Jack grinned.

"What do you want, Sparrow?" Beckett rolled his eyes. "You know aboard the _Dutchman,_ nothing you can do will save your little friend."

Jack sputtered. "You think I came because of that?" He laughed. "Nay. After thoughtful consideration, I realized that I made a fatal mistake, remaining on the _Pearl._ This is only going to end one way. Why should I lose my life over a ship, when you've got plenty more? After the way Miss Swann was so willing to give me up, I thought to meself, ' _what have I got to lose? Certainly no more with them, the Judas Iscariots, than what you had to offer!'_ So, here I am! Do we have an accord then?"

"You expect me to believe that this isn't a mere diversion of yours, to give the _Pearl_ a chance to catch up while we're not looking, and ambush before we have a chance to prepare?"

"My good friend, believe me when I tell you," Jack giggled, "they don't even know I'm gone. I swear on pain of death, I told nobody!"

"Very well then." Beckett approved. "But just to insure that you're not lying, you can join your little princess friend, in the brig." Jack turned up his nose.

"What gives." He shrugged begrudgingly, grimacing. Beckett nodded and Jack was escorted below deck.

"You will pay what you owe me after this, Jack Sparrow." Davy Jones whispered in his ear.

"Only provided I _don't_ escape this ship, mate." Jack whispered back.

"You won't." Jones said. He yanked the cell door open with his claw and threw Jack in like a rag doll. Then slammed the door, causing Lucy to jump and hug herself tighter in fright, afraid to look. Jones and his cronies returned aboard deck.

Jack crawled closely over to Lucy. _"Shhh! Don't scream."_ Jack warned her as he covered her mouth. _"_ _It's me!"_

" _Jack!"_ Lucy whispered, stunned. "How...what are you...how did you..."

"Day in the life of a pirate, luv." Jack said with a sad smile. He could see her little form shaking. "Lucy, _are_ you all right?" He asked seriously. "They didn't mangle you?"

"I'm not hurt," Lucy moaned, "but it's so awful in here." She wiped at her eyes.

"I've been there. Been in a this kind of mess hundreds of times." Jack sat down beside her.

"You were a prisoner before?" Lucy asked.

"You might call it a _hobby."_ Jack smiled.

"I'm frightened, Jack. Aslan must be watching over us. But...what if we don't make it?"

"It's all right, darling. Lucy, I know you're afraid, but I swear on pain of death, I _will_ get you out of here, and get you back to your brothers and sister, luv." Jack smiled warmly at her.

"Thanks." Lucy smiled sadly. She snuggled closely into him. "I hope Aslan can help us, way out here on the ocean!"

"Well," Jack sighed skeptically, "if He's as wonderful as you say, then surely He'll come for you." _As if that is going to happen!_

" _Us."_ Lucy corrected him.

"No. I'm a pirate, a scalawag. I'm not worthy to step foot in the presence of the Great Lion Himself."

"That's not true." Lucy persisted. "Aslan would never turn you away. Not if you truly want to be on His side." Above their heads, they could hear wooden feet clambering around and shouts being ordered about as the crusty people up there hollered. "I'm glad you're here, Jack." Lucy said nervously, leaning on his side.

"Me too, luv. Me too." Jack said soothingly, keeping a firm arm around her small, frightened form. "We'll get out of this, I promise."

* * *

When they'd returned to the _Pearl,_ Will and Barbossa had to recruit Gibbs, Pintel, and a few others to help them get Peter's limp form aboard. They carried him across the deck and lay him down on a cot. Susan and Edmund kept watch over him. "Where is Queen Lucy?" Trumpkin demanded anxiously. Reepicheep stiffened when he also realized that Lucy wasn't with them.

"Aye, Sirs. Where is the little lady? And Jack?" Gibbs gasped. Barbossa, Elizabeth, and Will told the crew just what had happened.

"He's awfully pale." Susan stated sadly as she brushed her brother's face. He moaned. The back of his head was bandaged.

"I think he's coming around!" Edmund announced. The crew gathered to see.

"Peter?" Susan spoke tenderly. "Peter, can you hear me?"

"Pete? It's me, Ed." Edmund added. Peter slowly fluttered his eyes open.

" _Lu...Lucy...Lucy..."_ He mumbled.

"They've got her." Edmund groaned.

"Don't worry. We're going to get her back, mate." Will said confidently.

"We won't rest till she's safe." Elizabeth smiled. "And back on the _Pearl."_

" _Lucy..."_ Peter squeezed his eyes shut and tears fell down his face.

"Are you all right, Peter?" Elizabeth asked.

"I...I have to save Lucy." Peter moaned, grasping his head. His brain felt like a buzzing beehive.

"Easy there, lad. Ye best stay put for now." Barbossa looked down at him. "That there was a nasty blow that thug belted you with. Ye got a nasty crack on the head."

"Mph...lucky guess." Peter winced.

"You could have a concussion." Will said, kneeling down beside his friend.

" _Lucy..._ " Peter winced.

"We'll get her back, Peter." Susan shushed him. "Remember, Aslan is on our side." Peter couldn't relax, even if he tried. He was in pain and he was deeply worried about his helpless little sister. Peter grimaced, clutching his hurt arm.

"How's your arm, mate?" Will asked. Peter gritted his teeth.

"I think it's dislocated." He moaned pitifully. Will glanced at Edmund who nodded. Will stepped and knelt behind Peter, steadying his hands on his shoulders. Edmund moved over to Peter's left arm and gingerly examined it. Peter looked hurtfully up at his brother.

" _What do you think happens back home, if you die here?"_ Peter asked quietly. Edmund didn't say anything. _"You know, you've always been there."_ Peter said tenderly. _"And I never really-_ _Oooooohhhh!"_ He yelped painfully as Edmund popped his arm back into place.

"Save it for later." Edmund whispered, rising to his feet. Peter moaned, but his arm didn't feel half as badly now. His head, however, was a different story.


	16. Chapter 16 Hoist the Colors!

Without anyone visibly watching, Calypso had eased Peter's head injury so that it wouldn't hurt so much so he could join in the fight. Calypso felt sympathy toward the Pevensie children. They'd been dragged into this, something they hadn't wanted, and yet here they were, fighting alongside others to help them survive. Just as she vibed a great destiny in Will, she also sensed Peter's thoughts without him knowing. Peter felt it was cruel to keep her bound like a wild animal and that she deserved her freedom. Edmund just didn't want to be around her anymore, as she creeped him out. Susan was angry with the pirates, the whole lot of them, that they'd captured Calypso and tried to make her less than she was. Yet, in all of this, they'd asked her for nothing.

Barbossa, as intended, went through with the ritual of releasing Calypso of her earthly bonds. Peter, Susan, Edmund, Trumpkin, and Reepicheep had been alarmed at what they'd seen when she'd transformed. But now she was gone.

* * *

Clouds in the sky gathered and a chilly wind floated aboard the _Pearl._ "Well, she's better off." Susan mused.

"And we're not." Pintel grumbled.

"It was the right thing to do." Edmund said.

"It's not over." Elizabeth declared.

"There's still a fight to be had." Will said to Gibbs.

"We have an armada against us. And with the _Dutchman,_ there's no chance." Gibbs said flatly.

"It's only a fool's chance." Elizabeth replied quietly.

"Revenge won't bring your father back, Miss Swann. And it's not somethin' I'm intendin' to die for." Barbossa stated. Elizabeth's frown became deeper. She knew her father was gone. But Beckett must pay! And Elizabeth certainly wasn't going to go in without a fight.

"You're right." She sighed dejectedly, passing Barbossa. "Then what shall we die for?"

Elizabeth climbed up to the rail, holding onto a mast rope to keep herself steady as she faced the crew. "You will listen to me. _Listen!"_ She demanded. _"_ The Brethren will still be looking here to us, to the _Black Pearl_ to lead. And what will they see? Frightened bilgerats on a derelict ship? _No._ No, they will see _free_ men! _And freedom!"_ She declared passionately. Peter was astonished at her manner of authority, but it spurred him ready for battle. Her words gave Susan courage every passing second.

"And what the enemy will see is the flash of our cannons, they will hear the ring of our swords and they will know what we can do!" Elizabeth continued, the fire and strength burning in her eyes and her voice. Will gazed at her with all the love and adoration a lover could bestow. They'd been through a shaky rift in the passed week, but hearing her now, looking up at her, a graceful, beautiful, spirited swan leading her people, he felt he could not love her any more overflowing in his heart than he did now.

Edmund looked as if he was in a trance, but no one paid him any mind. His heart-rate increased, and his hands were shaking. He appeared as if he'd been secretly given a poisonous love potion, without any regard for it. Elizabeth was different from the glamour girls he saw in the movies, she was real! He held onto every word she said.

"By the sweat of our brows, and the strength of our backs," Elizabeth said more calmly, with Barbossa gaping at her when she repeated his words from the conclave, "and the courage of our hearts...gentlemen, _hoist the colors."_ Elizabeth commanded passionately.

" _Hoist the colors,"_ Will said without hesitation.

" _Hoist the colors,"_ Peter agreed with others.

" _Hoist the colors!"_ Pintel cheered.

"Aye. The wind's on our side, boys. That's all we need!" Gibbs declared.

"AYE!" Reepicheep agreed.

" _HOIST THE COLORS!"_ Elizabeth screeched hoarsely. Every pirate vessel raised their flags, symbolizing their fight for freedom.

"She really is something." Peter whispered to Will. Will smiled proudly.

"Yes, she is." He nodded.

* * *

The sky was darkening, and the ocean waters were beginning to churn dangerously. "We have a favorable wind, Sir." Beckett's captain informed him.

"Well, so we do." Beckett said casually, sipping his tea from his dainty, fancy tea service, that looked so ironically misplaced at this time and place on the ocean, given the circumstances. "Signal Jones to give no quarter. That should brighten his day." Beckett gloated. His captain obeyed.

Jones received the order, but then his attention was drawn to the sky. The black clouds forming looked painfully familiar. He gazed up into the heavens mournfully. _"_ _Calypso..."_ He whispered sorrowfully, his slimy face smeared with heartache...but he had no heart. He stood there, remembering his time with the sea goddess. But then it began to heavily rain, and Jones was starting to weep, but he quickly shook it off and roared in fury as he marched lethally toward the _Dutchman's_ rudder.


	17. Chapter 17 At the Ready

The sky had heavily darkened into an unbecoming grayish green, the turbulent turning waves mirroring it as the clouds opened and a deafening rain poured down. "Have you noticed? On top of everything else, _it's raining!"_ Pintel gritted his teeth.

"That's a bad sign!" Ragetti agreed. Gibbs was at the railing, looking out ahead but could hardly see the other ships anymore through the fog and rain. A giant whirlpool was twisting in the middle of the ocean.

"Maelstrom!" Gibbs yelled.

"This is madness." Susan stated. "There's no way. We can't possibly fight them off in this storm!"

"We have to try." Edmund interjected.

" _Captain Barbossa!"_ Elizabeth shouted. "We need you at the helm." She told him. Barbossa threw his head back proudly and puffed out his chest.

"Aye, that be true." He gleamed naughtily and took his place eagerly at the rudder. "Brace up yards, you cack-handed deck apes! Dying is the day worth living for! " Barbossa hollered with gusto.

"He's crazy." Peter shook his head.

"It's a fool's chance. So I guess that makes us all crazy." Will grinned.

"Aye, lads. Ye never feel more alive than when ye almost be dead!" Barbossa chortled at them.

* * *

As the _Pearl_ trolled out away from the other pirate ships, so did the _Flying Dutchman_ from Beckett's massive army. Beckett's right hand man Mercer was aboard the _Dutchman._ He paled when he saw the giant whirlpool they were heading into."Veer off!" Mercer yelled in panic.

"She'll not harm us." Davy Jones hissed, whipping the rudder into action. "Full-bore and into the abyss!"

"Are you mad?!" Mercer gasped.

"Ha! Ye afraid to get wet?" Davy Jones teased him. He ordered the cannons to be brought out as they touched on the edge of the abyss.

* * *

"She's on our stern and gaining!" Will shouted.

"More speed!" Barbossa commanded. The _Dutchman_ opened fire on them.

"Take us out or they'll overbear us!" Will begged Barbossa.

"Nay. Further in. We'll cut across to faster waters." Barbossa shook his head.

"You're insane!" Peter told him.

"Prepare to broadside!" Elizabeth warned the crew.

"Muster your courage, men. At the ready." Will urged them. The _Black Pearl_ sailed onto the edge of the whirlpool, encircling the enemy opposite them. The two ships were chasing each other in circles.

* * *

Down in the brig of the _Dutchman,_ Jack was pacing back and forth around in the cell while Lucy only sat back and watched. In his mind, Jack kept seeing multiple images of himself again, like when he was in the Locker, and he could've sworn he heard them talking to him. _"Think like the whelp, think like the whelp,"_ he kept muttering.

"Jack?" Lucy cocked her head, puzzled. Jack's head shot up.

"I've got it!" He declared, grinning broadly.

"What? What is it?" Lucy asked excitedly, rising to her feet.

"Hinges, luv! Half barrel hinges. Leverage!" Jack told her grandly.

"Sorry?" Lucy shook her head.

"Stand back, luv." Jack said, grabbing a moldy bench. He braced it against the bars, and with one heave upwards, the cell door became loose!

"You did it!" Lucy cheered.

"Come, Lucy." Jack grabbed her hand. "Follow me. We're getting out of here. Wish us luck, gents. We'll need it!" He called back to an empty cell. Lucy glanced at him in confusion, but decided not to question. All she wanted was to get out of this horrible place, and back to her siblings on the _Black Pearl._

* * *

Barbossa ordered the cannons to be prepared, as did Mercer. Then gunfire blasted from both ships. Susan, Peter, and Edmund watched with worry. They could only pray that Lucy would not be harmed. Peter swore that the first chance he got, he was going jump on the _Dutchman_ and save his little sister!

"It be too late to alter course now, mateys! _Ah ha ha ha haaaa!"_ Barbossa bellowed.

"Barbossa!" Peter hollered furiously, shaking his arm. _"Lucy_ is on that ship! You're going to kill her!"

"If ye can think of a better alternative, lad, then speak out." Barbossa retorted.

"I _will!"_ Peter glowered. Sharply twisting on his heel, he made way to one of the masts. He began unraveling one of the ropes from its knots.

"Peter, what are you doing?" Susan asked.

"Lucy is on that ship." Peter huffed as he worked. "I'm not gonna let some stubborn old coot send her to the depths for the fun of it! Soon as we're in close enough, I'm going on the _Flying Dutchman._ "

"Prey be careful, my liege." Reepicheep begged.

"I will go with you." Trumpkin unsheathed his sword.

* * *

Luckily, Jack and Lucy didn't have to really sneak around the bowels of the _Dutchman_ to escape. Nearly every member of the crew was up on deck for the combat. "Ohhp!" Jack shot up.

"What is it?" Lucy looked up at him.

"Just something we need to pick up. Will only take a moment." Jack said. He leaned down to Lucy's level, suspiciously glancing around for guards. _"Keep a sharp eye."_ He whispered. Lucy nodded with determination, clasping the scabbard of her dagger. "Shhh." Jack shushed her as they tip-toed into Davy Jones' organ room.

 _Ohhh. You've got to be joking me,_ Jack groaned inwardly. There sat Davy Jones' chest that contained his heart on a table in the middle of the room, sandwiched between two guards. The said guards were none other than Mullroy and Murtogg, the two morons he'd first met back in Port Royal when he'd attempted to steal the _Interceptor._ "Piece of cake." Jack stated lowly.

The two guards noticed their two unexpected visitors. "Halt there, or we'll shoot!" Mullroy shouted. Jack threw his hands up and Lucy froze. An explosion blasted right behind the guards, as if on cue from Mullroy's command.

"Good one." Jack smiled. Lucy just stood in the doorway as he made his way to another small table. "I just come to get me effects."

"Don't mind us." Lucy smiled nonchalantly. The soldiers were befuddled at the prisoners and their seemingly unconcerned behavior.

"Admirable though it may be, why are you here when you could be elsewhere?" Jack asked them as he retrieved his pistol, his compass, and put his precious hat back on.

"Someone has to stay and guard the chest." Murtogg said.

"There's no question. There has been a breakdown in military discipline aboard this vessel." Mullroy said to his friend.

"Aye. I blame the fish people." Murtogg sighed. Jack stood in front of the chest.

"Oh, so fish people." Mullroy replied. Jack was about to say something but was interrupted. "By dint of being fish people, automatically aren't as disciplined as non-fish people?" Lucy furrowed her brows, unable to follow what they were saying. But she thought it was quite amusing that they seemed to have forgotten completely that she and Jack were even in the room!

"Seems contributory is all I'm suggesting." Murtogg stated. Jack slipped his hands around the chest handles and turned slowly to walk off with it. Lucy's eyes widened.

"That is true. If there were no fish people, there'd be no need to guard the chest." Mullroy remarked. Jack took one last look back, before he ventured out into the hall.

"And if there were no chest, we wouldn't need to be here to guard it." Murtogg agreed. Then it dawned on the both of them that...there was indeed _no_ chest for them to guard! They gaped in utter confusion.

Lucy was covering her mouth with her hands, struggling not to laugh out loud as she followed Jack through the ship. "That was unbelievable!" She giggled.

"Like taking candy from a baby." Jack smirked, very pleased with himself. "We've got it, luv! Now to just get off this bloody vessel."

"I do think _rotten_ would be a more accurate description." Lucy interjected. "But...what about them? Won't they come after us?" She asked, a little worried. Jack grinned proudly.

"Nay." He squinted mischeviously. "They'll be grinding their empty-headed wheels for a long time before they discover where we went!"


	18. Chapter 18 A Wedding, The Pirate Way

As the _Dutchman_ closed in on the _Pearl,_ Jones' crusty curs were within jumping distance. Through the cannon fire, the 'fish people' swung from ropes to the _Black Pearl,_ as did Jack's crew. Susan was using her bow and arrow, firing her weapons with graceful but swift skill. Edmund and Peter were helping to fend off Beckett's soldiers and Jones' scumbags.

Will realized they were quickly being overcome. What if this was the end? No! It couldn't be! If it was, he didn't want to leave this life without making the most important decision in it. He raced over to Elizabeth. "Elizabeth, will you marry me?" He asked eagerly. Elizabeth gaped silently, but then ducked as one of Jones' men charged at them. They both finished him off.

"I really don't think now is the best time!" Elizabeth interjected. They were descended on by another sea monster man.

"Now might be the _only_ time!" Will replied, fighting as he spoke. They killed more soldiers and _Dutchman_ creatures before Will gripped her arm."I love you." He smiled. "I've made my choice. What's yours?"

" _Barbossa!"_ Elizabeth yelled.

"Wha-" Will nearly fell over backwards at her reply. He stared at her, completely thrown for a loop.

"Marry us!" Elizabeth begged.

" _What?"_ Edmund scrunched up his nose when he heard her call. "You've _got_ to be joking!"

"Most extraordinary." Reepicheep remarked.

" _I'm a little busy at the moment!"_ Barbossa snarled loudly.

"Barbossa, now!" Will called.

Barbossa had two of Jones' men at a cross bow with each other before he knocked their heads together and sent them flying off the ship. "Fine then." He agreed. "We'll need witnesses."

Will and Elizabeth shook their heads. There were _loads_ of witnesses all around them, though none seemed interested in the matrimonial proceedings. "Susan!" Elizabeth called to her friend, and gripped her arm. "Will you be my maid of honor?"

" _Now?!"_ Susan's eyes widened.

"Now!" Elizabeth nodded.

"I...yes?" Susan shrugged.

"Peter! Edmund!" Will hollered to the boys. Edmund was on a scaffolding fighting with two swords at once.

"What is it?" Peter asked urgently, hurrying to Will's side.

"Elizabeth and I are getting married. Will you be my best men?"

"How do you perform as a best man when you're fighting pirates?" Peter furrowed his brows.

"Look out!" Will made him duck as one of the soldiers swung above them. Had Will not shoved him out of the way, Peter would've been knocked out cold. "Like this!" Will grinned.

"All right. Let's do this!" Peter cheered.

"You're crazy, you are, the whole lot of you!" Edmund replied.

"Is that a no?" Will teased him, still performing hand to hand combat with his sword. Edmund rolled his eyes.

"Whatever." He muttered.

"Good then." Barbossa approved, slaying a scaly fish creature. He climbed the helm and stood as if posing for a portrait. "Dearly beloved, we be gathered here today..." He bellowed gallantly, "to nail yur gizzard to the mast. _Ha ha ha ha!"_ He chortled boisterously as he fended and shot three different guys that tried to attack him.

More enemies made their way onto the _Pearl._ Will held Elizabeth's hands. "Elizabeth Swann, do you take me as your husband?" He smiled.

"I do!" She beamed.

"Great!" Will's face lit up like fireworks.

"Will Turner, do you take me…," Elizabeth began but was fighting another grisly fish. She clung to Will's hand as she did so. "...to be your wife?" Will twirled her under his arm, almost in a type of dance maneuver, and he fought the men where she'd been standing a moment ago. "In sickness and in health...with health being the less likely?"

Will turned around and grabbed her by the waist. _"_ _I do."_ He said passionately.

"Enough already." Edmund said dryly. He was defeated. Will had won out in gaining Elizabeth's heart, plus he was quite preoccupied with the battle.

"As captain, I now pronounce you..." Barbossa announced but was interrupted when a soldier charged at him. Barbossa shot him. _"_ _Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"_ Peter, Edmund, Reepicheep, Susan, Elizabeth, and Will continued to slay more enemies. Will and Elizabeth were waiting anxiously for Barbossa to tell them to kiss. "You may now kiss…" He began but again became caught up in the fight. "You may kiss..."

Will dipped Elizabeth who hung to his neck and was about to kiss her when an enemy approached them. Elizabeth ran her sword through him.

"JUST KISS!" Barbossa told them.

Will pulled Elizabeth to himself, she threw her arms around his neck, and finally they _kissed,_ deeply passionately, beautifully, as husband and wife! After all the misadventures they'd been pulled into thanks to Jack, and after all the dangers they'd survived, and the separations, arguments, and misunderstandings, they were married! They were no longer two separate people, but one! Two people making one whole with their love!

Pintel and Ragetti peeked out of the trap door, grinning in admiration. Peter and Susan smiled warmly at each other, happy for their friends. Torrential rain was pounding the _Pearl,_ they were sailing around an enormous abyss of black oblivion, enemies were everywhere, and giant, lethal waves were billowing against the ship. But Will and Elizabeth did not notice or care. They just kept kissing as if it were their last. They were the most important vitals of each other now, and that was all that mattered! Pintel and Ragetti and Reepicheep noticed the monkey also watching when it chattered. They shoved it away like a child too young to see such things. Susan and Peter glanced over at Edmund, who was watching the whole scene dismally, his posture wrought with defeat. And, his eyes were red and he was sniffling.

"Ed?" Peter grinned. "Are you _crying?"_

" _What?! No!"_ Edmund choked, quickly wiping at his eyes. "This bloody rain...it's stinging my eyes." He hid his face. Susan bit her lip, trying not to laugh at her brother. Peter smiled widely. Reepicheep hopped onto Edmund's shoulder.

"Ahh, to be young," He said dramatically, placing his tiny sword over his chest, "and to feel love's keen sting."

"Oh, shut up!" Edmund wailed and ran off to fight some bad guys. That would make him feel better. Susan and Peter giggled, as did Reepicheep.

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Trust me, the next one will be more exciting!**

 **Can Jack get Lucy safely off the _Dutchman_ before they get caught? Will Peter get his sword back? What about Aslan? Will He show up and help them again? **


	19. Chapter 19 For Narnia!

More and more enemies were flying onto the _Pearl._ The crew was beginning to become outnumbered. At one point, Susan was about to thrust an arrow into one of them, when another one swung from a rope about to stab her from behind, but Trumpkin saw him and shot him. Susan flinched from being startled and grinned gratefully at him, then the ship tilted and she slid over the edge due to the slippery deck from the merciless downpour. She screamed, then felt someone catch her. Trumpkin firmly gripped her hand, trying to keep himself aboard, clinging to the rail with his other hand. She flailed above the churning white water, and felt as if she was on a roller-coaster with the _Pearl_ speeding around on the water like a speedboat. Trumpkin grimaced but did not let go. He attempted to pull her up, but the wet floorboards caused him to slip. Gibbs ran over and grabbed Susan's wrist, assisting the dwarf and bringing Susan back up. "Thanks," She said breathlessly. Trumpkin panted with a nod.

"Me pleasure, my lady." Gibbs smiled. "Shall we get back to it then?"

Jack the monkey was hiding safely in the hull with Pintel and Ragetti, but the same could not be said of Reepicheep. If anything, he appeared nearly as pumped in the grisly activity as Barbossa. Another fish man slid to the floor and gaped when he saw the rodent. "You're a _mouse!"_ His gnarled, spiky jaw dropped.

"You people have _no_ imagination!" Reepicheep grumbled, rolling his little dark eyes. "Or shall I say, you _fish_ have no imagination!"

"I ain't a fish!"

"That is a matter of opinion." Reepicheep taunted. Then without warning, he lept onto the algae, crusted head and slit the guy's throat. Then he lept to a mast rope and tapped Barbossa on the shoulder.

" _What do ye want, rat jerky?!"_ Barbossa hissed back.

"My perfect record scores a good fifteen. What say you?" Reepicheep smirked.

Barbossa shot a man. "Twenty-one. _Ha, ha, ha!"_ He boasted. They saw more opponents scurry around. They glanced at each other, then dashed for them. "They're mine!" They both yelled at each other.

"Not if I get them first, slow poke!" Reepicheep grinned with his tiny teeth.

"Hey, get back here, ye gallivantin', outspoken, fur-ball!" Barbossa bellowed after him. "I've been doin' this a lot longer than you!"

" _Ha!"_ Reepicheep threw his head back. "Don't be so funny, you've got me in stitches!" He replied dryly.

"I _will_ have ye in stitches, as a fair lady's muff!"

"Only after they peel away your stubborn layers and layers of scaly crocodile skin, which should take only about...oh, I don't know-another fifty years or so?" Reepicheep asked cheekily.

" _Baaahhh!"_ Barbossa growled belligerently. Will was laughing at them while Trumpkin shook his head, more than ready to be done with this lunatic bunch.

* * *

Back on the _Dutchman,_ Jack slowly opened the door from the captain's quarters and cautiously glanced around. Hunching sneakily, he ventured out. "Come, Lucy. The coast is clear, luv." He told her. Lucy was right behind him, clinging to the back of his coat so she didn't get lost. She was nearly blinded by the ruthless rain bearing down on them. "Huh. Looks like we might get a little wet." Jack pointed out, as if he'd just noticed that they were in virulent foul weather.

"How do we get off the ship?" Lucy asked, shivering. Jack tugged her after him and hurried to the rail. Briefly setting down the chest, but keeping it right at his side, he cut one of the ropes. "What are you doing?"

Jack tied the rope securely around her waist then clasped her shoulders. "Lucy, listen to me." He said urgently. "When I count to three, I'm gonna push you, and you're gonna jump off the rail and onto the _Pearl."_

" _What?!"_ Lucy gasped, petrified. "No, Jack, I can't!"

"Yes, you can." Jack nodded firmly.

"I'm afraid." Lucy gulped.

"Lucy, look at me. You can do this, luv." He said, stooping down to her level. "I wouldn't tell to, if you couldn't. There's no time. You're not safe here, on this dilapidated, monsterly, creaky, moldy row boat. You must get on the _Pearl!_ Now go. It'll be all right. I promise."

"But what about you?" Lucy's lip trembled.

"Don't worry about me, love." Jack smiled, shrugging. "I'll be fine. I've been through tighter squeezes than this. Now go!" Lucy wasn't sure if he was going to make it back or not, with all the scary sea monsters surrounding them, not to mention the terrifying gap of midair and a floor of an angry whirlpool underneath between her and Jack's ship. She threw her arms around his neck.

"Don't die on us, Jack." She whimpered with tears.

"I won't, dear little friend." Jack said reassuringly. "Here, take this. Yur brother will be glad for having his old friend back." He thrust Peter's sword into her small hands. "I'll be right behind ye, luv." He hoisted her up to the rail. "Lucy, trust me?" He looked up at her encouragingly.

"Mmm-hmm."

"Okay. On three, jump! One...two..." Jack declared, but was suddenly interrupted by a familiar, naughty voice behind them: Davy Jones!

" _Jack..."_ Lucy moaned, clenching his wrist. Jack tried to stay calm, clutching the chest handle with one hand. Now he _really_ had to get Lucy off the _Dutchman!_

" _Ha...ha...ha."_ Jones chuckled sadistically. "Lookit 'ere, boys." He told his crew. "A lost _barrd."_

"Now!" Jack hollered, and shoved Lucy off. Lucy screeched at the top of her lungs, clinging to the rope for dear life as it carried her through the air, above the roaring, swirling abyss, till she grabbed one of the mast ropes on the _Pearl._ Jack watched her proudly. She'd made it!

"A lost _barrd_ that never learned to fly." Davy Jones scoffed at Jack as the crew closed in on him.

"To my great regret." Jack shrugged sheepishly. "But..." he grinned and scrambled up a cannon to the rail, grabbing hold of a rope, "never too late to learn, mate!" And with that, he whacked the side of the cannon, causing it to release the rope so that Jack was once again flailing through the air. He hollered and landed clumsily on top of the mainmast, struggling to maintain some balance.

* * *

"Help! Help me get down, please!" Lucy called out, clinging to the rope and dangling dangerously.

Peter's head instantly shot up when he thought he heard her voice. "Lucy?" He gasped. There it was again. He looked up. "Lucy!" Peter cried hoarsely. Barbossa, Raghetti, and Pintel heard them. "Just hang on, Lu!" Peter yelled up to her. "We'll get you down!"

"It's Lucy!" Susan smiled to Elizabeth.

"All right, lads. Be ready to catch her." Barbossa told the two guys. He thrust his sword through the rope, and Lucy came sliding down. Raghetti and Pintel caught her before she tumbled to the deck. They gently set her down and untied her.

"Thanks." Lucy smiled at them.

"Good to have you back, poppet." Pintel patted her head.

"Glad to see you're still in one piece, Missy." Barbossa nodded.

Peter gathered her in his arms, as if he was afraid she'd vanish into thin air. He clutched her tightly. "It's all right, Peter. I'm all right." Lucy smiled at him.

"How did you..." Peter tried to speak.

"It was Jack." Lucy said sadly. "And here..." She handed Peter his sword.

"My...my sword!" Peter gasped, astonished. "Thank you, Lu."

* * *

Said Jack breathed in relief to finally find a foothold, but to his chagrin as he attempted to scurry off, as he looked, there was none other than an angry Davy Jones hobbling straight toward him. "That chest, hand it over!" Jones demanded, drawing his sword-rather, _James Norrington's_ former sword.

"I can set you free, mate." Jack told him, also unsheathing his sword.

"My freedom was forfeit long ago. Hhhyyaaahhhhh!" Davy Jones hollered and charged at Jack.

* * *

A large Narnian griffin from Elizabeth's Chinese ship the _Empress_ flew down to them on the _Pearl._ "You summoned me, my lord?" He bowed before Edmund and Peter.

"Take Lucy, and help her find Aslan." Edmund instructed him.

"Aye, Sire." The griffin nodded.

"Look after her." Peter reminded him.

"With the utmost vigilance, my liege." The griffin agreed.

"But, Peter. What about all of you?" Lucy interjected.

"You're not safe here, Lu." Peter said solemnly.

"And we need Aslan. If _anyone_ can find him, Lucy, you can." Edmund added. Lucy agreed. The griffin flapped his wings, though it was difficult to gain momentum in the rain. Another griffin appeared and swore to accompany them in case things should go wrong. Lucy held to his talons as he steadily clasped them around her small body, but not to the point that it would hurt her. Then they flew off into the sky.

" _Aslan, please watch over her."_ Susan murmured. _"Please come to our aid."_

* * *

Atop a _Dutchman_ yardarm, Jack and Davy Jones were dueling over the chest, but Jack refused to drop it. "I said, _hand it over!"_ Jones snarled.

"Care to surrender?" Jack asked casually.

"You can do _nothing_ without the key." Jones bragged.

"Oui, I already have the key!" Jack boasted.

"No, you don't." Davy Jones grinned, holding the key up in front of Jack's nose with a slimy tentacle. He laughed.

"Oh, _that_ key." Jack muttered.

Jack slashed off a tentacle from Davy's curling beard, the tentacle that held the key! Davy Jones roared, and while he was bellowing in pain, Jack seized the opportunity and flicked his opponent's sword from his grasp, into midair. Now Davy Jones was _really_ mad! He curled his lip and stepped threateningly toward Jack, grabbing his sword with his lobster claw for a left hand, and snapping it in two! Jack was left with a poor excuse for a sword, merely just his scabbard. Startled, Davy Jones came closer and Jack lost his balance, and fell off the mast! "No!" Jones growled, and reached down to grab hold of the chest that held his heart. He had it, but...Jack was hanging onto the other end, dangling perilously above the ship's deck far below him!

Will was fighting Beckett's men then noticed Jack suspended in midair, hanging for dear life to... _the chest!_ Jones tried to shake Jack off, without success, so he held him up like a freshly caught fish. Jack threw him that infamous childish grin. "Bahh!" Jones shook his head in annoyance. He threw his arm back, and flung Jack through the air. Jack was caught on a swinging rope by a member Jones' crew who was trying to take his firearm.

"Oui? _My_ pistol." Jack frowned, conking the guy on the head and sending him to the waves below. Jones didn't see him, Jack fired and shot the chest off Jones' hand. It collapsed right on top of one of the fish people, knocking his ugly head off. Right at that moment, Will jumped onto the _Dutchman._ He saw the chest at his feet, snatched it up, and ran with all his might.

One of Beckett's soldiers noticed and picked up Jones' sword-well, it had been Norrington's sword. Jones huffed at him and ran him through, and shoved away anyone who came in front of him. No one was going to get their hands on his heart!

Suddenly, Will felt a punch to the face and looked over to see... _his father!_ Bootstrap was trying to beat him up. Will dropped the cursed chest and grabbed his arm. "It's me! It's Will, your son." He told him. But Bootstrap's fragmented memory was so cloudy that he didn't recognize his beloved son. He took a swing at him again.

"No. How can this happen?" Elizabeth looked on in dismay as she watched the two Turner men fight, Bootstrap attacking his son as if he were the enemy, and Will struggling to protect himself without hurting his dad back.

"Who is that?" Susan asked, coming up beside her.

"Will's father, William Turner. Everyone calls him Bootstrap." Elizabeth said sadly.

"Bootstrap." Susan repeated.

"I'm afraid he's lost his mind. He would _never_ go after his son like that. He loves Will!" Elizabeth declared and turned away. Susan watched the sad scene, unable to believe her eyes. Bootstrap Bill did not look like a man. He looked like part of an ocean reef sailors had dug up. What did that horrid ship the _Flying Dutchman_ do to people, completely consuming their haunted souls till there was nothing left? Susan didn't want to imagine. But what she saw before her, was two tormented souls, deeply connected to each other, one not even aware of what had caged his soul, and the other fully alert and doing everything in his power to save him! Susan knew of only _one_ person who could restore Bootstrap's memory and possibly prevent him from blindly killing his own son: Aslan! She pulled out her white horn and blew with all she had, calling for help.

* * *

Far from the maelstrom battle out at sea, the griffin carried Lucy passed Shipwreck Cove, into a rain-forest nearing a mountain. Lucy hoped he knew where he was going, and he assured her that he was only following where his heart told him to go. He glided lower under the palm trees. Then they heard a wild war-cry! Lucy looked back to see three of Davy Jones' crew members pursuing her with alarming speed! They'd teleported there. "Hurry!" Lucy urged the griffin. The fish men slew the other griffin when he tried to attack them to prevent them from going after his queen.

Lucy heard loud, heavy breathing and glanced to her left. Racing through the jungle was a large blur of gold, and...fur? Lucy's heart lept. Could it be? Was it...The griffin flailed his wings wildly when he came before an enormous golden lion. He accidentally lost his hold on Lucy and she dropped to the ground. She gazed up at the king of the jungle, startled and frightened by how big and menacing he was. _It has to be..._ she told herself. But rather than pouncing on her, the great cat lept and knocked all three of the _Dutchman_ crew off their feet. They fled for their lives without a second thought. Lucy slowly peeked around the corner.

The lion's curling lips had relaxed and He quietly glanced in her direction, meeting her eyes. Lucy's face lit up with joy. "Aslan!" She cried and ran to Him. She jumped onto Him, knocking Him off His feet. He chuckled warmly as she buried her face in his lush, massive, golden mane. "I knew it was You! The whole time, I just knew it!" She told Him happily, sitting back and facing Him. "But, the others didn't believe me."

"And why would that stop you from coming to Me?" Aslan asked in His deep, wise voice. Lucy's face fell, and her triumphant feelings quickly dissipated. Now she felt a twinge of shame.

"I'm sorry." She said meekly. "I was too scared to come alone." Aslan gazed down at her thoughtfully. "Why didn't You show yourself? Why couldn't You come roaring in to save us, like last time?" Lucy asked.

"Things never happen the same way twice, dear one." Aslan told her gently.

"Cair Paravel, and Port Royal...everyone who died, You could've stopped that." Lucy stated with disappointment.

Aslan nodded dismally. "We can never know what would've happened, Lucy." He said gravely. "But what _will_ happen, is another matter entirely."

"Then You'll help?" Lucy smiled again.

"Of course. As will you."

"Oh." Lucy sighed. "I wish I was braver."

"If you were any braver, you'd be a lioness." Aslan grinned fondly at her. "Now then," He rose to His mighty paws, "I think your friends have fought on their own long enough, don't you?" He let out a deafening roar that echoed all over the whole island of Shipwreck Cove and around it.

* * *

Peter and Edmund hopped across onto the _Dutchman,_ to assist Jack and Will, and rid themselves of remnants of the raider who had invaded their land _._ Jack's rope became tangled and he fell in front of Jones. His sliced little sword was useless, so he ran away with Jones close on his heels. Jack led him to the rudder, where they tried to reach each other. Then Jones stepped through the wheel. Jack turned him on it in circles like a merry-go-round. It was amusing to watch and Jack could not help giggling at the ironic sight. Jones was _not_ amused in the least. He leaned closely into Jack's face and yelled. Jack shrieked and ran away from the slimy octopus man.

In the meantime, Murtogg and Mullroy had ascended from the brig. Seeing as Jack's crew was winning, and not wanting to get into hot water with the captain of the _Dutchman,_ they grabbed a rope and each other and went flying across to the _Pearl._ Elizabeth took their rope and looked back at Gibbs. "Go!" He urged her. Susan, Trumpkin, and Reepicheep were more than efficiently helping Barbossa slay the opponents.

* * *

Jones began dueling with Jack again and finally backed him into a corner. Jack struggled, but the larger man was nearly on top of him! He roughly shoved Jack away, knocking him to the ground. Thankfully, Jack wasn't unconscious, just embarrassed mostly. Jones hobbled toward him again, intending to grab the chest, but he was interrupted.

An unearthly, tremendous roar reached into the sky, and shook even the mighty waves themselves of Calypso's furious storm! _Everyone_ halted and froze as their heads turned toward the sound. Even Davy Jones was stunned! They didn't see Him, but they _heard_ Him, and _knew_ He was there! Peter, Susan, Reepicheep, and Edmund all smiled with knowing faces. "He's come." Edmund said proudly.

" _What in the blue blazes..."_ Davy Jones huffed, narrowing his eyes. Jack lay at his feet, startled and searching the dark sky for the mighty lion.

"It _is_ Him!" Susan exclaimed.

"It...can it be?" Elizabeth asked excitedly.

"Aslan! It's Aslan!" Susan cried out for joy.

"The True King has returned." Reepicheep puffed passionately.

"It is the Great Lion, Himself!" Will gasped, awestruck.

"What? Impossible." Pintel's jaw dropped.

"Lion!" Ragetti gasped.

"We'll all be turned to mutton chops!" Murtogg cried in a panic. He and Mullroy fled below deck to hide themselves.

"It's Aslan." Gibbs breathed in awe. He'd hoped for this moment for years, but never thought it would actually happen!

"It is." Barbossa agreed, completely stunned. Even he couldn't deny the greater power that was now in their midst.

Peter clung to the mast and raised his sword high above his head and shouted at the top of his lungs, _**"FOR NARNIA, AND FOR ASLAN!"**_

" _For Narnia!"_ Will echoed him.

" _And for Aslan!"_ Elizabeth screeched.

" _For Aslan!"_ Edmund yelled.

" _For Narnia!"_ Barbossa bellowed.


	20. Chapter 20 The Dutchman Needs a Captain

Will was still trying to reason with Bootstrap. Peter and Edmund threw themselves onto the deck. Jones scowled at them. "Bahh. Do you think two witless whelps such as yurselves can defeat me?" He scoffed. Edmund and Peter said nothing, but instead drew their swords.

"I am High King Peter, High King of Narnia, and Lord of Cair Paravel." Peter glared. "Either surrender, or die."

"Ha, ha, ha." Jones mocked him.

"Last chance." Edmund said. Then Elizabeth landed right next to him. Jones' chest swelled in fury.

"Harridan! You'll see no mercy from me!" He warned her.

Elizabeth glowered at him maliciously. "That's why I brought _this!"_ She declared, unsheathing her sword. She and Edmund rushed Jones. Peter saw Will struggling with Bootstrap and ran for the chest so Jones could not take it. Jack was still on the ground, when he noticed out of the corner of his eye, the severed tentacle holding the key to the chest. He scrambled back to his feet to snatch it.

"Jack, I've got it!" Peter announced proudly, hurrying to him, carrying the chest.

"Very good, lad." Jack clapped his shoulder.

Will ducked again to avoid being slugged and finally managed to keep Bootstrap at bay. He pulled out the knife he'd given him. But he turned back just in time to see Jones hit Elizabeth, sending her backwards and knocking her unconscious when she hit her head on the stairs. _"Noo! Wretch!"_ Edmund hollered and angrily sliced off three more of Davy Jones' bearded tentacles. Jones roared dangerously and roughly punched Edmund in the chin. Edmund stumbled and rubbed his bruised jaw.

Will was horrified that Jones had hurt Elizabeth. He had to do something! He looked back at Bootstrap. "I'm _not_ going to kill you." He said firmly. "I made you a promise."

Edmund was trying to regain his bearings, stunned from the blow to the face. Davy Jones glowered down at Elizabeth and marched to her, and arched his arm, ready to run his sword through. But Will came from behind and drove his own through Jones' body. Jones was cut off guard, then he became irritated. He chuckled at Will's vain attempt. "Mr. Did you forget? I'm a heartless wretch." He taunted. He clipped the sword, then kicked Will across the face with his leg, whamming him off his feet. Will flew and fell back against the wall.

Will looked across at Elizabeth to make sure she was alright, glad that at least he'd diverted Jones' attention from her. He silently thanked God that she came to, and returned his glance of concern. Jones glanced at both of them curiously. Then his lips curled derisively. "Ah. Love, a dreadful bond. And yet, so easily severed." He sneered.

"Elizabeth..." Edmund smiled in relief. She was okay!

Davy Jones stood over Will in a threatening stance, pointing his sword right to his face. "Tell me, William Turner. Do ye fear death?" He leered.

" _Do you?!"_ Jack hollered from behind. Jones started, and turned back. There was Jack Sparrow, standing there grinning like a cat in a birdhouse, with his knife in one hand, and holding...holding _the heart,_ Davy Jones' still beating heart! Will and Elizabeth grinned at each other. Edmund sighed with relief. Peter stood beside Jack, smiling with narrowed eyes. Jones' eyes bugged out at the sight he found repulsive.

"Heady tonic, holding death and life in the palm of one's hand." Jack stated nonchalantly.

"You're a cruel man, Jack Sparrow!" Jones trembled with rage.

"Cruel is a matter of perspective." Jack smirked. _Ain't no way the slimy git is getting out of this one!_

" _Is it?"_ Jones arched his eyebrows. No one saw it coming! In a split second, Jones whirled back around, and sent his sword directly into Will's chest! Everything seemed to stop. Will helplessly gasped in pain. Elizabeth, Edmund, Peter, and Jack all gaped, shocked and horrified! This wasn't supposed to happen! How could this happen? _What_ had just happened?!

To add to this inhumanity, Jones wielded the sword, twisting it in deeper into Will's heart, causing him unimaginable pain. Davy Jones was more than pleased at their mortified reactions. He curled his lips in a devilish smile, and laughed cruelly at the heartache he was causing them. Elizabeth slowly made her way over to Will, who could only lay there, impaled, his strength gone. "Will..." Elizabeth whispered with tears in her eyes.

" _Noo...murderer!"_ Peter and Edmund growled together. They lunged at Jones, making him stumble. Jack could only stand there, watching in disbelief. What should he do now? Will wasn't supposed to get hurt! Jack was supposed to stab the heart and take Jones' place. But...what now? Peter had his sword thrust through Jones' body. Like Will's, it didn't kill him, but Peter refused to let go and it did serve as a control stick, as Jones wasn't able to easily pry it out with two, strong teenagers clobbering him.

Then he whacked Peter on the back of the head with his claw. Peter lost his balance, still holding his sword and fell on his back. Using his peg leg, Jones pinned him down. Peter fought to get up but he was stuck. Davy Jones took the sword, Peter's own weapon and prepared to stab him with it. "Pete!" Edmund sprang into action, cutting off more of the tentacle beard. Jones clutched him around the throat with his lobster claw, holding him above the ground, and choking him as he closed his hand in more tightly. Edmund gagged and fought to kick him away.

"Ed!" Peter looked up from the floor. "Get...away from him!" He yelled at Jones.

Elizabeth was at Will's side, holding his face and stroking his soaked hair, trying to comfort him. He could no longer breathe properly and he was struggling to look at her as his vision was clouding over. "Will…Will, no. Look at me! Stay with me! You're all right." Elizabeth told him, her heart racing with panic. Jack watched, torn, unsure of what to do. He had to save his friend, and he had to stop Jones from killing anyone else. But how? He still had the heart beating in his hand. And he was still holding the knife.

Bootstrap opened his eyes clearly. He blinked in disbelief at the sight before him and he felt his heart drop into his stomach as the reality of what had just happened hit him like a ton of bricks. "William...William, my son...my son!" He cried in devastation. He charged at Jones and shoved him around, forcing him to release Edmund who gagged. Bootstrap pulled him off of Peter who retrieved his sword. Edmund helped his brother to his feet.

"You all right?" Peter asked. Edmund nodded wordlessly. They watched helplessly at their dying friend.

Will was fighting to keep his eyes open and trained on his wife, but with every passing second he was losing the willpower as he could feel his life slipping away. "Will, no, no, look at me! Look at me!" Elizabeth begged her husband. She would not just let him go!

Jones backed Bootstrap against the wall, and arched his sword. Peter and Edmund charged toward him. "You will not forestall my judgement!" Jones yelled with fierce wrath. But then he felt an elephant sized weight inside his chest and it sapped every ounce of strength from his body. Gasping, he turned. His heart had been stabbed! _Will_ had stabbed it. Jack removed his hand from atop his friend's. He and Elizabeth both watched Jones coldly. Peter and Edmund were dumbfounded. Jones panted then looked up into the sky sadly. "Calypso..." he whispered, then fell overboard down into the dark, bottomless whirlpool of his beloved's wrath.

* * *

The crew from the _Pearl_ were yelling. "She's taking us down. Make quick, or it's the locker for us all!" Barbossa urged them, throwing the rudder into full speed. Ragetti fired a chain of balls up the _Dutchman's_ main mast, breaking it, separating it from the _Pearl's._

"Edmund! Peter!" Susan called frantically from the _Pearl._ They looked at each other, torn about what to do.

"Pete...we have to go." Edmund said grimly.

"We can't just leave them." Peter nodded.

"Go, lads. Make haste! The _Dutchman_ is going to sink!" Jack told them.

"Jack..." Peter tried to protest.

"GO!" Jack shouted at him. Edmund and Peter didn't want to, but they knew they had to.

Will could no longer function. He was drained, and he could no longer feel his own pierced heart beating. He closed his eyes and his head lolled lifelessly to the side. Elizabeth felt a wave of ice wrack through her. "No...NNOOO!" She wailed, holding Will's face, begging him to come back. Edmund looked away, wincing while Peter could not take his eyes off of them. Jack watched unhappily, still shocked that this happened. He could only pray and hope that his choice would save Will. Then he heard something behind him and saw Bootstrap and the _Dutchman_ crew slowly approaching them.

"Part of the ship, part of the crew. Part of the ship, part of the crew..." They all chanted. One of them held the open chest, and Bootstrap had the knife. Jack knew what was coming and had to get Elizabeth out of there.

"No! Will!" Elizabeth sobbed. Jack took her by the arms.

"Elizabeth..." He said softly.

"No, no, come back! Don't leave me!" She begged her husband desperately.

"Say goodbye." Jack told her as he pulled her to her feet and away from Will.

"No! I won't leave you! No, no!" Elizabeth screamed, fighting Jack, unwilling to just leave him behind to die. He grabbed a rifle from the floor. Two griffins swooped down to the deck to fetch Edmund and Peter. They reluctantly both climbed on each of them, and the creatures quickly flew up into the air.

Bootstrap knelt sadly beside his dead son. "The _Dutchman_ must have a captain." He said gravely. He dug the knife's blade into Will's chest to cut out his heart.

Jack pulled Elizabeth away, firmly to himself so she wouldn't see. He'd unraveled two ropes from the mast. With one arm around her waist, he yelled, "Hold on!" He fired the end of the rope, and having made a makeshift parachute from the mast, he and Elizabeth soared into the air. Jack the monkey jumped onto the tail end.

Edmund and Peter looked down mournfully, observing the ship fall. Elizabeth clung to Jack's waist with all her strength. They both watched as the _Flying Dutchman_ sank into oblivion beneath the waves of the swirling abyss. And with the ship, it carried Elizabeth's husband's body! Elizabeth wept as she laid her hand on Jack's chest, unable to look any longer. Jack was silent, and listened to her heartbroken cries of despair.

Then the bright sun filled the sky and the sea suddenly calmed, as if the fierce storm had never happened! The parachute couldn't carry them anymore, and Jack and Elizabeth slowly were dropped into the now calm ocean. Together, they swam toward the _Pearl_ that had turned to pick them up.


	21. Chapter 21 Victory is Ours!

**The _Black Pearl_ and the _Flying Dutchman_ ambush and defeat the _Endeavor._ Bet you can't guess which movie soundtrack I listened to as I wrote this one!**

* * *

Gibbs assisted Elizabeth then Jack back aboard. Jack the monkey hopped on by himself. The griffins descended with Edmund and Peter who slid off the creatures' backs. Susan ran to them, "Ed! Peter!", but stopped short when she saw their despondent faces and noticed Elizabeth's tear-stricken face. She also observed that Will was nowhere to be seen. "Will?" She asked solemnly. Edmund nodded. "What happened?"

"He fell behind." Peter hung his head. Susan winced and stood next to Elizabeth, rubbing her arm. Trumpkin shook his head.

"Thank goodness, Jack. The armada's still out there, the _Endeavor's_ coming up hard to starboard, and I think it's time that we embrace that oldest and noblest of pirate traditions." Gibbs suggested urgently. Jack didn't seem as if he'd heard a word he said. Jack spaced out, gazing into the horizon peppered with Beckett's ships. He seemed to be looking for something expectantly.

"Never actually been one for tradition." He replied, squinting off the rail. "Close haul her. Luff the sails and lay her in irons."

"Belay that! Or we'll be a sitting duck!" Barbossa protested.

"Belay that 'belay that'!" Jack thundered to the bewildered crew.

"But the arma..." Gibbs started.

"Belay." Jack cut him off.

"The _Endeav..."_ Pintel tried to say.

"Stow. Shut it!" Jack insisted impatiently.

At that same moment, aboard the _Endeavor,_ the cannons were prepared as the ship trolled to the _Black Pearl._ Beckett was smirking the most haughty smile imaginable. Finally, the pirates, the Narnians, and anyone else he deemed a problem would be out of his way, and he would conquer the Seven Seas and use them however he wanted. This was his moment of global triumph. "It's nothing personal, Jack. It's just good business." He slurred smugly.

* * *

The open water reeled. "What's that?" Edmund spoke, pointing out to see.

 _Please, not the Kraken!_ Susan thought, her heart racing. All who looked on were stunned when up from the depths rose the once dreaded _Flying Dutchman!_

"Ahh, she survived." Beckett remarked casually.

Aboard the _Dutchman,_ the barnacles, crustaceans, seaweed, coral, starfish, and algae fell off the crew. They stared in awe at their bodies as they once again became human! This had not been for far too long! Then they looked up to see who their new captain could possibly be. A sturdy young man with dark hair fluffing out from under his pirate bandanna turned and gripped the wheel. "Ready on the guns!" _Captain_ Will Turner ordered.

Jack, Gibbs, Barbossa, Peter, Edmund, Susan, and everyone beamed with joy that their friend had returned. But _no one_ was happier than Elizabeth! Her husband was still alive! "Full canvas!" Jack ordered excitedly.

"Aye! Full canvas!" Barbossa finally agreed. The _Dutchman_ and the _Pearl_ were facing off each other.

But before any of the ships could fire, another startling sight grabbed their attention. They saw a large creature treading the air above their heads as if He were swimming in water. On the front-line before the two allied ships, was Lucy. She looked back proudly at her family and friends. They cheered that she was safe. And she was sitting on the back of one enormous lion! The lion faced the _Endeavor,_ so did Lucy. She didn't look the least bit scared. There was no reason to. Aslan was with her! Gripping His mane, she pulled out her dagger.

The _Endeavor's_ soldiers were awestruck at the sight of Aslan. Several of them said it was Him, while others insisted it was a ghost, or a mirage from combat fatigue. Beckett said nothing, but his conceited grin slowly _started_ to falter, especially when he noticed the two ships coming for him, parallel to each other! And, that lion! It was indeed Aslan, even Beckett knew it had to be. Lucy's words about Aslan helping them were coming back to him now, and for the first time in months, even years, he felt a sickening twinge of doubt and fear. What was the most chilling to him, was the way that lion was looking right into his eyes, as if the King could see right through him, and knew everything about him!

Aslan let out a might roar, which shook everyone to their cores. They'd never encountered anyone or anything possessing such majesty or power! Aslan shot up back into the sky with Lucy hanging onto His mane, as the _Pearl_ and the _Dutchman_ closed in on Beckett. "Sir, orders? What would you command us to do?" Beckett's lieutenant asked nervously. Beckett didn't answer.

* * *

The allies had their cannons ready. Jack was the first to give the order. "Fire." He told the crew.

"Fire!" Gibbs echoed him.

"Fire!" Will shouted.

"Fire!" Barbossa bellowed.

"Fire!" Peter hollered.

"Fire!" Susan screeched.

"Fire!" Edmund yelled.

"Fire!" Elizabeth commanded.

Both ships opened cannon fire on the _Endeavor,_ splitting the high profile vessel to smithereens and splintering her once splendid sides of the finest paint. The soldiers were in a panic. "Orders! Orders, sir?!" The lieutenant begged Beckett to give them a command. But it was clear this was a case of every man for himself. "Abandon ship!" The lieutenant screamed to the crew and those who weren't killed or seriously wounded jumped overboard and swam away as quickly as they could.

"It's...it's just...good business." Beckett whispered to himself. He was so stunned at this very _unplanned, untimely_ turn of events that he appeared numb to all the destruction occuring around him. All his schemes, all of his power, all of his former glory was being stripped away from under his feet, bit by bit, with each passing second. Men were screaming as they were hit by cannon fire or flying debris. Chaos fogged up everywhere. Beckett was in a trance, of shock colliding with reality as he eerily, calmly marched down what remained of the helm steps of his once beautiful ship. He was defeated, something he could not accept by coherent thought. And in the next moment, he was blasted by the next explosion, and blown into the water.

* * *

The _Endeavor_ and its lord had been vanquished! The rest of the pirates sailed forward and attacked whichever of Beckett's armies who did not yield peacefully. Those who begged for mercy from the pirates were granted it. The pirates and handful of Narnians cheered with all possible glee and jubilant yelling. They'd done it! They'd conquered the ruthless enemy by sticking together. Jack looked on proudly. For once, he didn't mind being wrong about his original idea to run away from the fight. Fighting had been the answer, he just hadn't wanted to admit it. And, they couldn't have done it without the Pevensie children, the kings and queens of Narnia.

Mullroy and Murtogg had switched their attire into pirate clothes and showed themselves. "Shiver me timbers!" Mullroy told Pintel and Ragetti who shrugged at each other. Captain Teague bore his cheering silently, but did throw his hat and could not smile more proudly. Even Trumpkin was happy, and joined in the celebration.

"Yes! We did it!" Edmund cried as he, Peter, and Susan hugged each other.

"For Narnia!" Peter added.

"And for Aslan!" Susan smiled.

"Mr. Gibbs? You may throw my hat if you like." Jack told his friend as they both stood at the helm.

"Aye, aye, sir." Gibbs' face lit up. "Hooray!" He tossed Jack's precious hat down into the crowd.

"Now go and get it." Jack grunted. Gibbs frowned and rolled his eyes.

* * *

 **Next chapter, they meet Aslan!**


	22. Chapter 22 Do You See Him Now?

" _Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face;_

 _And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,_

 _In the light of His glory and grace."_

 **Jack and his crew meet the Great Lion Himself.**

* * *

After the enemies had been negotiated with or not, Lucy clambered back onto the _Black Pearl._ Aslan followed, standing grandly at the edge of the bow where all would face Him. Peter, Edmund, and Susan were the first to step forward. They all looked up at Him solemnly. The awestruck pirates were speechless as they all shuffled forward sheepishly, not sure how to act in the presence of the Great King. While all the other pirate captains remained on their ships, Captain Teague who was keeper of the Code and Jack's pirate father, made his way onto his son's ship to greet the Great Lion. This was something he'd never foreseen, but he was going to follow through with it.

Elizabeth had first heard of Aslan before, back in the day when the Pevensies first arrived in the Caribbean and helped her, Will, and Jack defeat Barbossa. Aslan had not shown Himself at the time, but Elizabeth had always believed in Him from what the children said about Him. And now? Now she was going to see Him in person! Yet, a lingering guilt in her gut for having killed Jack and sent him to the Locker made her hesitate.

Captain Teague appeared intimidating and not the least bit timid on the outward surface as he made his way forward, but truthfully, his own authority in all the Caribbean as Keeper of the Code, seemed dim now compared to Aslan, who was a True King, and had powers beyond the pirate's imagination.

 _Jack_ had no words to describe his feelings or thoughts as he gazed in awe at the Mighty Lion Himself! Words in the first place would be poor to describe Aslan. His majesty, His glory, His other worldly power and final authority, His gentle manner...words would never be enough! As he timidly gazed on Aslan's calm face and gorgeous coat and mane, Jack did _not_ think of trickery, searching for treasure, looting, being admired, the sea, using deceit as second nature, his precious rum, or any of his daily dreams and personal vices. Heck, Jack _never_ dreamed he would ever think this, but _not even_ the _Black Pearl_ could compare to Aslan! He didn't even debate in his mind who was or _wasn't_ the captain of it!

The only thing Jack knew now was how _small, despicable, filthy, and insignificant_ he felt in the presence of the Great King. Aslan's coat shone in the glorious sunlight, brighter and more beautiful than any gold Jack had _ever_ encountered in his travels. Aslan's eyes were deep, ancient, calm, piercing, yet kind. Jack was blown away. He could barely look the Lion in the eyes. All he could do was bow his head with his precious hat removed, and kneel in reverent homage to Aslan. Grisly old Barbossa was equally humbled and knelt beside his good mate, as did the crew. Even Pintel and Ragetti were silent before Him. Peter, Edmund, Lucy, and Susan knelt down before Aslan, as did the entire crew. A reverent silence hung over the ship.

"Rise, kings and queens of Narnia." Aslan told Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy. "Rise, humble pirates." Aslan addressed the crew. All but Jack stood up. _"All_ of you." Jack glanced up sheepishly at Aslan, as if he wasn't sure he'd heard correctly, as if he was waiting for lightning to strike him dead. Jack finally rose and placed his hat back on.

"Welcome aboard the _Black Pearl,_ great Aslan." Jack greeted, with a humble bow. Aslan nodded.

" _Your Highness."_ Ragetti breathed. Pintel nudged him in the gut.

"It's _Your Majesty,_ ye numskull." Pintel hissed in his ear.

"Oh." Ragetti gulped, as if he was afraid the Great Lion would bite his head right off. Aslan only snickered.

"At ease, timid one. Do not be afraid." Aslan told Ragetti.

"A humble honor of the utmost respect." Captain Teague said in his husky voice. Aslan acknowledged him.

"My lord." Elizabeth smiled and knelt right at Aslan's feet. He leaned forward and lightly kissed Elizabeth on the head. He knew her guilt over what she had done to Jack, even though she did not speak of it.

"Rise, Daughter of Eve. Your sins are forgiven." Aslan told her gently. Elizabeth gaped at him. She tried to speak, but her voice caught in her throat. She hadn't even told Him what was troubling her heart! Yet as she looked into His eyes, she knew she didn't have to. Aslan gave her His paw and helped her to her feet. Elizabeth breathed with a tremendous wash of true peace in her heart that she had not felt for a long time. The issue between her and Jack was now in the past, and she no longer had to carry the burden of what she had done to him.

"Thank you, my lord." Elizabeth smiled gratefully, and kissed Aslan's paw that still rested on her hand.

They heard a small cackling sound that sounded like a crow. The crew parted, and watched as Jack the monkey stumbled forward with a small creature in his arms. It was Reepicheep! Jack was carrying him and gently set him down on the floor in front of Aslan. Reepicheep was unconscious and his breathing was labored. Lucy gasped with worry and stooped down beside him. She pulled out her cordial she'd received from Father Christmas and poured a single drop into the mouse's mouth. For a moment, nothing changed. Then the mouse coughed and fluttered his eyes open. He looked right at Lucy. "Oh, thank you, Your Majesty." He sighed. Lucy smiled in relief.

Jack the monkey took Reepicheep's paw and helped him stand on his feet. Reepicheep still felt a little dazed, until he saw Aslan!"Oh!" He breathed in surprise and delight."Hail, Aslan! It is an honor to be...a...uhh…" Reepicheep felt his rump frantically and sputtered in horror when he realized that his tail was gone! It had been severed off clean during the battle. "Ho! I am...completely out of countenance!" Reepicheep gasped. This was certainly not the way he had been planning to greet his King. "I must crave Your indulgence for clearing in this unseemly fashion." He looked up at Lucy hopefully. "Uh...perhaps a drop more?" He asked, almost pleadingly.

"I don't think it does that." Lucy shook her head sadly.

"You could have a go." Reepicheep suggested.

Aslan chuckled. "It becomes you well, small one."

"All the same, Great King, I regret that I must withdraw," the mouse knight drew his sword, "for a tail is the honor and glory of a mouse." He held out his sword.

"Perhaps you think too much of your honor, friend." Aslan scolded gently.

"Well, it...it's not just the honor. It's also good for balance!" Reepicheep insisted. Everyone was grinning at his persistent manner, even Aslan. "And climbing...and grabbing things. And...and..." Reepicheep fumbled over his words.

"Not for the sake of your dignity, but for the love of your people." Aslan said grandly. The crew drew back, bug-eyed, dumbfounded as they watched the mouse's tail grow back, this time longer and larger!

"Oh! Whoa, look!" Reepicheep cried with joy. "Thank You! Thank You, my liege. I will treasure it always. From this day forward, it will serve as a great reminder of my huge humility." Nearly everyone was laughing at him, especially Jack.

"Actually, it's getting him to shut up that's the trick." Barbossa crossed his arms.

"The moment there is nothing to be said, _broad beam,_ I promise you, I will not say it." Reepicheep retorted with a huff. Aslan could not help laughing.

"Now, where is this dear little friend you've told me so much about?" Aslan asked with a chuckle. They all turned and looked right at Trumpkin. He was standing between the cannons behind the crowd. His face grew red when he realized he'd been summoned. Shyly, and very nervously, the dwarf made his way to Aslan. Feeling all the eyes on him, he glanced up timidly at Aslan, then knelt down and bowed his head.

Aslan let out an enormous roar, that echoed for miles, and made the entire vessel of the _Black Pearl_ tremble, and the waves the ship rested on shook in homage to Aslan. Trumpkin and the pirates shuddered at the majestic roar from the massive Lion. Jack the monkey screeched and frantically hopped back onto Barbossa's shoulder where he felt safe. "Do you see Him now?" Lucy asked, smiling widely.


	23. Chapter 23 Elizabeth Says Goodbye

A jubilant calm settled over the sea near Shipwreck Cove. The _Dutchman_ stood anchored across from her new and strongest ally, the _Black Pearl._ Lucy noticed Elizabeth standing on the helm, gazing over to Will on the other ship. This was not the wedded life they'd both dreamed of, but they were beyond grateful, that at least they still had a chance, to be together !

Gibbs noticed Lucy and stepped beside her, as did her siblings. "The _Dutchman_ must have a captain." Gibbs explained. "Just wed, and now she and Cap'n Turner must live in different worlds. One day ashore, ten years at sea."

"Will..." Lucy murmured.

"It hardly seems fair." Susan stated sympathetically.

"Aye, lass. But the _Dutchman_ will now serve as it was ordained to, to ferry fallen souls to the other side, rather than snatch them up."

"Is there no way to break the curse?" Peter asked. Gibbs bit his lip.

"I think it best if we count our blessings, lad, rather than wallow over what cannot be changed." He answered.

* * *

On the _Flying Dutchman,_ Will gazed sadly over to his wife. He knew Jack had done the right thing, and he was grateful for another chance to be alive and having freed his father. But now, he would have to leave Elizabeth while he set out to sea, to fulfill his new calling. It was an honorable role, but it had come with a painful price, and it still hurt.

Bootstrap Bill came to his son. "Orders, Sir." He said.

"You're no longer bound to the _Dutchman._ You're free." Will told him.

"Aye. That's a fine thing, but...by my reckoning, I still have a debt that must be paid. If you'll have me." Bootstrap persisted.

"On the wheel then, Mr. Turner." Will smiled warmly.

"Aye, Captain Turner." Bootstrap nodded. He took the wheel, but then glanced back at his forlorn son. He knew it was going to be hard on Will and Elizabeth, and he truly wished he could change the circumstances for them. "This ship has a purpose again. And where we are bound, she cannot come. One day ashore, ten years at sea. It's a steep price for what's been done."

"Depends on the one day." Will sighed.

* * *

Gibbs approached Elizabeth."Your chariot awaits, Your Highness." He greeted. She looked back at him reluctantly. "The oars are inside." He said, his voice laced with a twinge of regret. Elizabeth slowly followed him, then made her way to the deck. The entire crew was standing there, waiting for her. Jack stood at the very end of the line beside Aslan, hanging his head.

Elizabeth hesitated. This was goodbye! At least until their next adventure together. As perilous and wild as this venture had been, she'd grown quite fond of these crazy pirates, her _blood brothers_ so to speak, and she was going to miss them. She first acknowledged hard-bitten old Barbossa. It was ironic to believe how far they'd come since their very first meeting, when he'd kidnapped her! He'd been a real creep then. But being raised from the dead had channeled him in various, secret ways he hadn't expected. Now when she looked at him, she saw a different kind of man. Still tough, and loud, and conceited, and yet different in an unbelievably lovable sort of way.

" _Mrs. Turner."_ He nodded to her in an almost fatherly way. She grinned at him. Their first meeting, she had claimed to be under the last name of Turner, and now it was official. Elizabeth made her way down past the crew.

"Goodbye, poppet." Pintel said sadly, and Ragetti was wiping his one good eye.

"My lady." Reepicheep bowed respectfully. Elizabeth looked at the Pevensies.

"Susan," She said softly, "you've been a dear friend. I'll miss you."

"I'm glad I came back." Susan smiled with tears. "Even if we got pulled into fighting crazy pirates." They giggled, then hugged. "Take care." Susan sniffled. Elizabeth moved onto Peter.

"Peter, thank you, for everything." Elizabeth squeezed his arm.

"I'm honored, to have been a part of it." Peter said fervently. When they'd first arrived, that had _not_ been the case, but things were different now. "Will won't _ever_ leave you, Elizabeth. That you can depend on." Elizabeth bit her lip to keep from crying.

"You're right. Goodbye, Peter." Elizabeth turned to Lucy. She beamed and hugged the little girl tightly. "Lucy, you've taught me so much."

" _Me?"_ Lucy arched her eyebrows.

"Aye. About always having faith, no matter what. I'm grateful to you. I won't ever forget you, Lucy Pevensie." Elizabeth gripped her hand.

"Nor I you." Lucy smiled. "Bye."

Edmund was standing behind Lucy, _hiding,_ staring gloomily at his feet. Elizabeth smiled sympathetically as she stood in front of him. "Ed, will you say goodbye?" She asked softly.

"I'm...too old for that sort of thing." Edmund cleared his throat, fighting tears.

"Of course." Elizabeth patted his arm. "Here. I want you to have this." She removed her piece of eight on a chain about her neck and put it in his hand.

"Liz, I can't take this!" Edmund argued.

"Yes, you can." Elizabeth insisted. "This is the new piece of eight in my possession, in honor of the new Brethren Court's living on. I am the pirate king, and you will take it. That's an order."

"Your wish is my command, Your Majesty." Edmund started to brighten up a little.

"I want you to take it, King Edmund the Just. You're a fine young man, and a most courageous fighter." Elizabeth commented. "We could not have won this fight without you."

"Thank you." Edmund gulped. He didn't know if he'd ever get to see Elizabeth again, but he'd never forget her. And even the fact that she was now married to another didn't in any way dissuade his feelings for her. Elizabeth Swann was more than beautiful, so much more. Edmund believed she was more of a heroine than any of the stars he'd seen in the movies back home. She was truly a girl worth fighting for. Elizabeth gently kissed him on the cheek. Susan, Lucy, and Peter were all flabbergasted. Edmund knew they would tease him about it later, but he did not care! He was being kissed by his hero, and he savored every moment. He stood there mesmerized when she pulled back. "Keep smiling." He squeaked.

"I will. Thank you, Ed." Elizabeth replied cheerily. Edmund felt like he was going to faint as she walked away from him. Then he noticed his siblings watching him.

 _"Oh, shut up!"_ He whispered sharply.

"I didn't say anything!" Peter chuckled.

Elizabeth bowed humbly before Aslan. He nodded to her and then she stood in front of Jack. She was going to dearly miss the conniving, flighty, rambunctious pirate. Her life would not be what it was without him. "Jack?" She whispered. Jack slowly looked at her. "It would never have worked out between us."

Jack smiled widely. "Keep telling yourself that, darling." He said fondly. Elizabeth reached up to kiss him, but he threw his hands up defensively. "Err...once is quite enough."

"Thank you." Elizabeth sighed wistfully, then marched to the long boat. Jack watched her warmly, as she rowed to join the love of her life.


	24. Chapter 24 Set Free!

**After witnessing Will and Elizabeth's heartbroken goodbyes to each other, Aslan restores Will's heart and declares him and the _Flying Dutchman_ crew free of their curse! You'll get NO APOLOGIES from me! Though their love story is made so much stronger by the separation, I don't like them being apart for so long. **

* * *

It was hard to believe that a little over twenty-four hours had passed, and that they were really married now. Will and Elizabeth had spent a blissful night together under the stars, basking deeply in each other's love. Any newlyweds would, but for Mr. and Mrs. Turner, it was so much more, because they would not get to do this again for a whole nother lifetime!

Will sat on the beach, putting his socks and boots on, but he only had one. Truly, he didn't really mind. He would give for anything to prolong his stay on the sand! Every moment that passed was another moment closer to him having to leave Elizabeth behind, for ten long years! "I'm gonna need the other one." He sighed with a chuckle.

Elizabeth appeared, in a simple black dress with slits that ran down her legs. She playfully perched her leg on a rock, wearing Will's other boot. Will grinned at her. He knelt down and removed the boot, but still held onto her leg. He looked lovingly into her eyes and then ran his face over her leg, caressing her skin, trying to solidify it in his being so that he could carry it with him through the years. Elizabeth closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, savoring every moment of it. This was love, this was what life was about.

Will reluctantly stopped Elizabeth's beautiful smile faltered. It was time. "It's nearly sunset." Will said sadly, gazing off into the horizon. Elizabeth closed her eyes. Her heart was pounding in her ears. Will uncovered the chest, the chest that contained his heart. Elizabeth could hear its beloved beating and tears filled her eyes. That chest and what it previously contained had been the precursor of so much needless death, turmoil, terror, and heartache. Now, it was a symbol of hope. Elizabeth was proud of her husband and the kind of man he was. She just wished it didn't come with such a high price!

Will picked up the chest. "It's always belonged to you. Will you keep it safe?" He asked.

"Yes...yes!" Elizabeth managed to smile, slowly taking it. Their foreheads touched and they just stood there, breathing.

"Keep a weather eye on the horizon." Will told her. How could he possibly leave her, when their lives together had just begun? They locked lips and kissed beautifully. Elizabeth didn't want to let go of him, but she had to. It was the only way to insure that down the road they would have another moment like this.

"Will..." She tugged on his arm before he could turn away. He was about to take her in his arms when they were interrupted.

"Eternity is where true love exists." A deep, reassuring voice spoke behind them. They both looked to see the Great Lion Himself standing there watching them.

"Aslan." Elizabeth smiled but wasn't sure why He was there. She and Will both knelt before the True King, with Will's arm around Elizabeth's shoulder.

"Rise, Captain and Mrs. Turner." Aslan told them.

"We didn't even know you were there! We were...just saying goodbye." Elizabeth choked up as she hung her head.

Aslan nodded as He slowly stepped up to them. "I still would like to thank You...Sir. For all your help." Will said humbly.

"So, you both have still chosen this road?" Aslan asked slowly. More tears filled Elizabeth's eyes as she nodded. Will held her close.

"Yes." She sniffled. "We don't have a choice."

"It is." Will gulped hard. "The _Dutchman_ must always have a captain."

"Indeed." Aslan purred. "Captain Turner!" He spoke abruptly. Will and Elizabeth both looked up, startled. "Kneel." Aslan gently commanded. Will did not question but humbly obeyed. Elizabeth was confused.

Will looked at Aslan uncertainly, then bowed his head. Aslan breathed deeply, purring like a giant kitten. Then...He let out a literally earth-splitting roar that made even the sand tremble. Will fell onto his back on the ground and Elizabeth also collapsed in the sand. Aslan's roar echoed for miles around. Elizabeth could hear nothing but the deafening strength of the great Lion's mighty lungs. A bright golden glow glittered in the air, blinding everything so that Elizabeth could not make out what in the world was going on. She did not see Davy Jones' chest shake and crack into a million tiny shards that evaporated into nothing. Will let out a loud gasp, as if he'd been struck with lightning. His chest burned like fire but he couldn't move. Then at once...all was quiet again.

Elizabeth sat up on her side and looked around. Aslan was calmly standing there. Her worried gaze went to Will. He was lying prostrate in the sand and was still as stone. "Will!" Elizabeth cried and ran to him, dropping to her knees at his side. He didn't appear to be breathing! "Ohh...Will?" Elizabeth leaned down closely to him. Will suddenly gasped hard, as if he'd just broken the surface from nearly drowning. He panted. Elizabeth ran her hand over his chest to calm him, and that was when she...she felt it! Over his scar, she felt a steady beat underneath his skin where his heart was supposed to be. Could it be? She could feel it, under her very fingertips. She shuddered with joy and hovered over her husband, kissing his lips. Will slowly opened his eyes and his chocolate orbs met hers. She smiled down at him and to him, she had never looked more beautiful or radiant. "Will..." She could barely speak.

"Elizabeth..." He whispered. "What happened?" That was when he realized he could feel his own heart, where it should be. Elizabeth helped him sit up. He pulled the front of his shirt open. The scar was still there, but his heart was beating like it should! They both looked to Aslan.

"Rise, Captain Turner." Aslan told him. Will obeyed Elizabeth stood with him. "The _Dutchman_ must have a captain." Will and Elizabeth glanced toward the ocean. They could not believe their eyes. What sat on the water was no monstrous, ghastly, spine-tingling vessel, but a fine, beautiful, massive, white-sailed ship in its former glory! Elizabeth and Turner were speechless.

"Aslan?" They looked to the great Lion who came to their sides.

"It is still the duty as captain of the _Flying Dutchman_ to ferry souls to the other side." Aslan explained. "However, from here on, it will be as needed and not under a cruel curse. You both will no longer have to wait an entire lifetime to be together again."

"You...you mean?" Will sputtered.

"There is no more curse?" Elizabeth didn't dare hope!

"It is as you say, dear one." Aslan smiled. "You and Captain Turner have proven your eternal love that surpasses that of many souls. You have paid a price for your love. Now it shall be returned to you in full." Elizabeth laughed with tears of joy. She sobbed happily, unable to contain her feelings. Tears filled Will's eyes too. He couldn't take his eyes of the Lion who had given them this indescribable gift! They would never be able to repay Him, ever!

"I...I don't know what to say." He finally whispered.

"Sometimes it is best that way." Aslan approved. "The scar will remain, yes. But it will serve as a constant reminder, of the price that was once paid for freedom, and for loved ones." Elizabeth smoothly ran her hand over Will's scar and he clutched her hand.

"Thank you...Aslan." Will could barely breathe. He and Elizabeth had been given a second chance! And that was beyond anything they'd dared to hope for. Now, they could still be together! Elizabeth ran to Aslan and she hesitated at first. He lowered His head and allowed Elizabeth to kiss His golden mane. She kissed Him with utter reverence and awe.

"We will never forget this, what You've done for us, Aslan!" She cried. _"Thank you_ doesn't even come close." Aslan chuckled and placed a paw on her hand.

"Your husband is waiting on you, dear one." He said. Elizabeth flew into Will's arms, and they embraced and kissed as if time did not exist at all.


	25. Chapter 25 No Need to Say Goodbye

**I have had SO much fun writing this story! I thoroughly enjoyed making these characters interact together.**

 **Hope you all were happy with the last chapter, of Aslan setting Will free of the curse! I mean, I _just had to!_ I can't stand Will and Elizabeth's separation and Aslan, well, He's Aslan and can do anything!**

* * *

The pirates had celebrated their glorious victory. Now the _Black Pearl_ was sailing back to Narnia. Edmund, Jack, Barbossa, Peter, Murtogg, Mullroy, and Reepicheep had all been arguing over who had gotten the most kills during the battle. Susan thought the whole thing was a stupid thing to compete over, but as usual, her opinion went on unheeded.

The morning they reached the waters of Narnia, Aslan was seen walking about the deck of the _Black Pearl,_ speaking seriously in deep conversation with Peter and Susan. Will and Elizabeth were present too. Elizabeth had already said her goodbyes, but Will had not.

Lucy was up by the wheel, taking in the ship so she could remember it again. Jack trotted up and smiled when he saw her. He might be a surly old pirate, reckless, and may seem self-absorbed. But _nothing_ made his heart melt into a big softie faster than whenever he laid eyes on Lucy! She was still a child, a little girl. Yet, she was very wise for someone her age, and valiant. The name certainly suited her!

"Dreamin', luv?" Jack asked. Lucy looked up at him and smiled back.

"I suppose." She sighed. "I do hope Cair Paravel can be restored. It was a beautiful place once. We had wonderful times there."

"I'm sure you will again."

"Jack? Do you...think we'll see each other again?" Lucy asked sadly.

"Ai, luv." Jack nodded, struggling to keep a stiff upper lip. "Might need ye all back on one of my grand adventures. Thought next time, I expect more cooperation from your brothers! Don't fret, Lucy." Jack said in a gentler tone.

"Lucy." Peter interrupted as he stepped up to the wheel. "Time to go." Lucy nodded glumly. She didn't want to leave! Jack offered his hand.

"Allow me." He said encouragingly. Lucy took his rough hand as he led her down the stairs.

Peter, Edmund, and Susan were standing together below the wheel. Lucy hugged Trumpkin. He would miss her very much, more than he'd like to admit-though he was relieved to be rid of her crazy siblings and these even crazier pirates!-. She'd won his heart over too. "Your Majesties," Reepicheep bowed loyally.

"Best of luck to ye, _High King Peter."_ Barbossa narrowed his eyes at Peter. It was the first time he hadn't called him _boy._ Peter nodded seriously. "You'd make a good pirate, King Edmund." Barbossa said.

"Thanks." Edmund grinned sheepishly. "Maybe someday I'll take up the offer."

"Don't go scarin' off the lads with that tongue of yours, my lady. You save it for the right one, and only after he's allowed to be called yur husband." Barbossa warned Susan. She smiled, shaking her head. "Well," Barbossa looked down at Lucy, "you've proven, Queen Lucy the _Valiant,_ that size don't matter. Not when it comes to true courage." Lucy giggled and wrapped her arms around his waist. Barbossa's face turned crimson while the entire crew gasped, gaped, and ogled. "Shut yer traps, ye fungus-tongued deck apes!" Barbossa scolded them. "Ain't ye ever seen a lady greet a pirate before?" Peter and Edmund snickered. "Oui, what ye laughing at?" Barbossa growled.

"I won't forget _you."_ Lucy told him.

"Of course ye won't. I'm an unforgettable fella." Barbossa smirked.

" _Ha, ha!"_ Jack belted out.

"Take care of yourself, lassie." Barbossa said. Lucy nodded and curtsied.

Pintel, Ragetti, Marty, Murtogg, and Mullroy were all sniffling. "It was an honor to fight alongside you. All four of ye. You're welcome aboard the _Black Pearl_ any time." Gibbs said, shaking Peter and Edmund's hands, and kissing Susan and Lucy's.

"Thank you." Peter answered.

"Bunch of stout-hearted fighters ye be." Gibbs nodded. Will stepped forward to say his farewells.

"You helped save my life." Peter told him.

"Will, thank you for everything." Susan said.

"I am the one who should be thanking you." Will smiled warmly. "Especially _you,_ dear." He knelt down in front of Lucy, holding her hands. "You sought out Aslan when the rest of us doubted. You brought Him to our aid in our most desperate hour. And now thanks to Him," He briefly turned his head to look at Elizabeth, "Elizabeth and I have another chance. I...don't know how to thank you, Lucy."

"There's no need for thanks." Lucy shrugged. She leaned forward and hugged him. Will grinned and patted her back. "Goodbye, Will."

"Goodbye, Lucy." Will murmured, rising to his feet. Peter solemnly handed his sword to Will.

"Peter! Wha-I _cannot_ take this!" He protested.

"Yes, you can." Peter insisted. Will gazed at the sword, a gift to Peter from Aslan Himself, with awe and reverence.

"I shall look after it till you come back." Will bowed his head.

"I'm afraid that's just it. We're not coming back." Susan sighed.

"We're not?!" Lucy gasped. Her heart sank. Never come back to Narnia? How could that be? She was nearly in tears.

"You two are." Peter spoke up. "Or, at least, I think He means you two."

"But _why?_ Did they do something wrong?" Lucy blurted out, confused and disheartened at this news.

"Quite the opposite, Dear One. But all things have their time. Your brother and sister have learned what they can from this world. Now it's time for them to live in their own." Aslan said gently.

"It's alright, Lu. It's not how I thought it would be. But it's alright. One day, you'll see too." Peter assured her.

"I shall look after it with the greatest respect, at least until Ed shows up again." Will promised. "Then it shall be his turn."

"Really?" Edmund's face lit up.

"Uh huh. Good luck to you all. And I hope you find what you're looking for." Will said.

"Thank you." Peter smiled sadly. Susan and Lucy gave Elizabeth one last hug. Edmund held his head high, showing her the Piece of Eight hanging around his neck. She grinned proudly at him.

Lastly, they approached Jack. "Take care of your family, Peter." Jack said. "They be treasures that not even the best pirates could ever hope to find. Savvy?" Peter nodded, shaking his hand. For all their previous disputes, rants, and misunderstandings, they'd finally come to agree on one thing: family mattered more than jewels and titles.

"I won't argue with you there. Try to stay out of trouble, Jack."

"Pirate's life, boy." Jack shrugged.

"And thank you, for looking after Lucy." Peter added.

"Yes, thank you." Susan agreed.

"Aah, how could I not?" Jack grinned. "Well, go out into yer own world and find your own adventure, Susan dear. But I'm warning you, you're a heart-breaker, luv. I pity the poor souls who will pine for yur fine looks, but lack the gumption to win your heart." Susan smiled gently, and lightly kissed his face. Jack was taken aback. That was the nicest she had been to him since their return! "Take care, luv." Jack bowed.

"Sure is gonna be dull without you around causing trouble, Jack." Edmund complained.

"To my great regret, Ed." Jack threw his arm around Edmund's shoulder. "You're a good man, good king, and a good pirate. Don't know how I shall get along without you. Watch that Peter, will you? He's a stuffy handful, that one."

"You have _no_ idea." Edmund agreed.

" _Ahem!"_ Peter grunted.

"Well then, I shall look forward to our next meeting." Jack clapped Edmund's arm. "Keep them outta trouble. And don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

"Over my dead body." Susan chuckled.

"See ye around, Ed. Gonna miss ye, lad." Jack sighed.

"Yeah." Edmund nodded.

Then Jack faced Lucy. His whole face fell and he had to 'cough' to appear as if he wasn't letting his emotions get the best of him. "Lucy..." He whispered.

"Jack..." Lucy took his hand, tears welling up in her eyes.

"You just...keep being you, luv. The world's a mighty brighter place with lasses like you in it. You mark my words."

"I will." Lucy bit her lip. "I'm going to miss you, Jack!"

"Now, now. No need for tears, Lucy." Jack cleared his throat loudly. He was choking up too and could hardly hold it in. He brushed a few tears away with his thumb. Then he had to wipe at his own eyes. "No need to say goodbye. We'll see each other again, luv."

"Will we?" Lucy looked to Aslan. He nodded kindly. "I can't wait!"

"Don't you go forgettin' me now!'' Jack warned her playfully.

"I won't." Lucy promised, showing him the clasp he'd given her at their first departing and now hung around her neck.

"Good lass." Jack smiled. "Well, best be off with ye. Yur brothers and sister are waiting."

"You trying to get rid of me, Jack?" Lucy teased.

"Never!" Jack exclaimed. Lucy beamed and threw her arms around him, hugging his waist tightly. Jack tried to look away from the crew but then he threw caution to the wind and embraced her back. "Goodbye, Lucy. I'll see you next time, dear little friend."

"Goodbye, Jack." Lucy wiped at her eyes then joined her family.

"Goodbye, Aslan." She called. "I'll miss You most of all!" Aslan chuckled and shook His great mane. The long boat was lowered, and as the children rowed toward the shores of Cair Paravel, they vanished.

* * *

Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy fond themselves standing outside the movie house where they'd hurried to when this new adventure has first begun. They could hardly wait to find out what their next one would be!

"Oh no!" Edmund gasped frantically.

"What's wrong, Ed?" Peter asked.

"Do you think there's a way we can get back? I left my new torch in Narnia!" Edmund declared. Peter shook his head. Lucy and Susan could only laugh.

* * *

 **Aboard the _Black Pearl_**

Jack was standing at the wheel, fiddling with the mysterious contraption he'd stolen from Jack the monkey. It was a beautiful but utterly confusing device. For one, Jack for the life of himself, could not figure out how the bloody thing worked! He'd never seen a piece like it!

Jack pried open the battery compartment on the back of Edmund's flashlight. He pulled the batteries out and studied them curiously. They were certainly not like any bullets he'd ever seen! They must be some kind of new fangled ideas from the Pevensies' world. Jack put one of them back into the flashlight, then held the bulb directly into his face. He flicked the switch on and was suddenly, completely blinded. "Ohhff!" Jack yelped, blinking furiously. "Aah, aah!" He threw the flashlight onto the deck. Shaking his head, trying to regain his eyesight.

Curious, he put the next battery into his pistol. He was most curious about how this may or may not work. "Now, where is that bloody monkey?" He sneered.

 **The End!**


End file.
